Casey and Denny - New Girl
by lozxtitchx
Summary: Denny starts at Summer Bay High and forms a friendship with Casey. What happens next?
1. Chapter 1

**Seriously loving the pairing on-screen, so as always happens, I'm writing a story. Enjoy!**

"You're going to be just fine" Mum assured me as we drove into the school car park

"How do you know that? It's been how long since you were at school?" I questioned

"Enough with the cheek, young lady" she sighed as she pulled into a parking space

"Sorry" I replied "I'm just nervous"

She switched off the engine and turned to me… "Listen, Denise, you're a bright, beautiful, kind young lady who'll fit in straight away. Your Principal has high hopes for you here, so let your talent shine through, okay?"

I nodded my head in agreement… "Okay"

"Great" she proclaimed "now let's get you inside!"

"Mum, as much as I love you, do you mind if I go in on my own?" I inquired

"It'd be a bit embarrassing if your Mum walked you into school to start your last year, wouldn't it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at me

"Just a bit" I admitted, smiling at her warmly "thank you for dropping me off, I'll see you tonight"

"Call me if you need anything, okay? Promise me, Denise" she begged

"I promise" I assured her, leaning across to kiss her cheek before climbing out of the car

CASEY'S POV:

"You asked to see me, Bianca?" I asked as I knocked on her office door that morning

"How many times, Casey? It's Miss. Scott on school premises" she sighed

"Sorry" I replied, holding my hands up in defence "so what's going on?"

"This is Denny" she informed me, motioning to the girl sat opposite her "she's a new student in your year and I thought you'd show her around and look after her for me?"

"Okay" I stated

"Great" she proclaimed "Denny, this is Casey Braxton, he'll be your go-to guy, Casey, this is Denny Miller"

"Nice to meet you" I greeted her, holding out my hand for her to shake

"Nice to meet you too" she mirrored, shaking my outstretched hand

"Shall we get going?" I suggested "registration starts any minute"

She nodded her head, signalling yes… "Thank you for everything, Miss. Scott"

"You're welcome" Bianca replied "and if you need anything, my door's open"

Smiling warmly at her, we left the office, me shutting the door behind us…

DENNY'S POV:

"So you've just moved here then I take it?" Casey questioned as we walked down the corridor

"Arrived here on Friday from New Zealand" I informed him

"Big change" he replied

"Yeah, my Mum and Dad got divorced, and Mum's job relocated her here" I explained

"Well you're gonna like Summer Bay" he assured me "it's a great place. Everyone knows everyone"

"Can that not be a little claustrophobic at times?" I inquired

"It never has been for me" he replied "here we are"

"What happens now?" I questioned

"You take a seat and Mr. McGuire does the register" he informed me, a smirk on his face

I smiled at him and made my way into the classroom, taking a seat at an empty desk…

CASEY'S POV:

"Who's the new girl?" Matt asked as I sat down in front of him

"Denny" I informed him "she's just moved here from New Zealand"

"Big change" he replied, raising an eyebrow at me

I nodded my head, signalling yes, glancing across at her as Sasha made her way over to her…

DENNY'S POV:

"Hi, I'm Sasha" a girl introduced herself to me, holding out her hand

"Denny" I informed her, shaking her hand "nice to meet you"

"Nice to meet you too" she replied "I see you've got Casey as your guide?"

I nodded my head, signalling yes… "He seems pretty cool"

"He is" she assured me "as long as you don't take yourself too seriously and can have a laugh and a joke, you and he will get along just fine"

"I think I can do that" I admitted

"Then we'll be great friends too" she proclaimed "listen, instead of sitting all the way over here, why don't you come and sit behind me? There's an empty space and you can get to know me and my boyfriend"

"Are you sure that's okay?" I questioned

"Of course it is, come on" she replied, smiling at me warmly

CASEY'S POV:

"Ready for first period, Denny?" I asked as she and Sasha were mid-conversation

"Yeah" she replied "it was nice to meet you, Sasha. You too, Matt"

"Don't forget lunch at the diner" Sasha proclaimed as we went to leave the room

"Sash can be a bit full-on sometimes, can't she?" I questioned

"What?" Denny inquired, raising an eyebrow at me in confusion

"I'm kidding" I admitted "she's a great girl. So what do you think to Summer Bay High so far?"

"It seems like a great school" she replied "but what I really want to know is how you can get away with calling the Principal by her first name and not get a detention…"

"She's my sister-in-law" I informed her "married to my older brother Heath, who you'll meet"

"Why will I meet him?" she inquired

"Well we're going to become friends, aren't we?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at her

"I don't know, that depends…" she replied

"On?" I asked

"On how cool you are. You see, I've got a reputation…" she informed me

"Oh really? Well I'm pretty cool" I assured her

"I'm going to need someone to back up your alibi" she admitted

I laughed and shook my head at her, nudging her playfully… "Come on, we're going to be late"


	2. Chapter 2

DENNY'S POV:

I made my way out of my Media Studies class to find Sasha, Matt and Casey waiting for me…

"Ready for lunch?" Sasha questioned

"Yeah" I replied "can I just drop these by my locker first?"

She nodded her head, signalling yes, linking her arm through mine…

CASEY'S POV:

"Welcome to the Pier Diner" I proclaimed as Denny, myself, Sasha and Matt walked in

"And my place of work" Sasha informed her "grab a table and I'll get us some drinks"

Denny and I made our way over to a vacant table whilst Sasha and Matt organised drinks, both of us sitting down…

"How's your first day going so far then?" I inquired

"Good thanks" she replied "the school's a bit of a maze but I'll get used to it"

"Yeah you will" I assured her

DENNY'S POV:

"Hi, I'm home" I called into the house as I arrived back from school later that afternoon

"Hi, darling" Mum greeted me as she made her way out of her bedroom "what do you say to dinner at Angelo's tonight?"

"The restaurant in the Bay?" I questioned

"Yeah, seeing as though we've got nothing in and to celebrate your first day of school" she replied

"Okay" I stated, smiling at her warmly

"So, tell me everything. How did your first day go?" she asked

"It was brilliant" I informed her "the teachers and my classes are great, and I've met some great people"

"See, I told you it'd be fine, didn't I?" she inquired

"Yes you did, Mum, and you were right" I sighed, chuckling at her as she smiled triumphantly "I'll go and get changed"

Nodding her head in agreement, she made her way into the kitchen…

CASEY'S POV:

I walked into Angelo's to grab my takeaway pizza when I saw Denny sat at a table with a woman I was guessing was her Mum…

"Casey" her voice called as I continued my walk to the bar

"Hi" I greeted her, turning and walking over to her table instead

"Mum, this is Casey, the guy I was telling you about, Casey, this is my Mum, Linda" Denny informed me

"Nice to meet you" I greeted her, shaking her outstretched hand

"Nice to meet you too, Casey" she mirrored "thanks for making my daughter's first day so easy"

"No problem" I replied "she's a great girl; you should be very proud"

"I am" she assured me, smiling at me warmly

"I better be off. Tell the barman you know the owner when you go to pay, it'll be on the house" I informed them

"What? We can't do that" Denny proclaimed

"You can" I assured her "my brother Brax owns this place. Any friend of mine is a friend of his. Enjoy your meals"

DENNY'S POV:

I watched as Casey made his way to the bar and waved goodbye at Mum and I before leaving… "I'll be back in a minute"

"Take your time" Mum replied, smiling at me warmly

Hurrying out after Casey, I reached him as he was leaving the surf club…

"Thank you for that" I admitted "but we're not charity cases, so we'll pay for our meal"

"I wasn't doing it because I think you don't have the money" he informed me "I was doing it as a welcome to the Bay"

"Really?" I questioned

"Really" he replied "seriously, Brax won't mind, and if he does, I'll pay him what your meal costs"

"Thank you" I stated, smiling at him warmly "see you at school tomorrow?"

"How about we walk in together?" he suggested, raising an eyebrow at me

"I get the bus. Mum and I are up at the farmhouse" I informed him

"I'll walk to you and then we'll walk together from there" he replied

"Are you sure? It's quite a way out…" I inquired

He nodded his head, signalling yes… "I better be getting this back to the mob at my place. See you tomorrow, 8:15am-ish, yeah?"

"Okay" I replied

**What are you guys thinking so far?**


	3. Chapter 3

DENNY'S POV:

"That'll be Casey" I informed Mum as a knock at the door sounded at 8:15am on the dot the next morning

"What's he doing here?" she questioned

"We're walking to school together" I replied

"He's come all this way out to walk to school with you?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow at me

"Yes, Mum" I informed her "now can I not keep him waiting any longer and answer the door?"

She nodded her head, signalling yes. Moving from the kitchen/living room doorway, I walked through the hallway to the front door, finding Casey stood on the porch…

"Morning" he greeted me

"Morning" I mirrored "come in"

"Thanks" he replied as I moved the screen back so he could step inside

"I won't be a minute" I informed him "I just need to finish organising my bag"

"Don't rush, we've got time" he assured me, smiling at me warmly as I made my way into my bedroom

CASEY'S POV:

"Morning, Casey" Denny's Mum, Linda greeted me

"Morning" I mirrored

"Come through" she replied "can I get you a juice or some breakfast while you're waiting?"

"I'm good thanks. I ate before I left" I informed her

"Okay" she stated as she began to clear the plates

"Would you like a hand?" I inquired, placing my school bag down on the floor

"You're a guest, so no" she replied "but thank you for your offer"

"You ready?" Denny inquired, appearing in the doorway a few seconds later

I nodded my head, signalling yes…

"Bye, Mum" Denny called as we made our way to the door

"Bye" she mirrored "nice to see you again, Casey"

"Nice to see you too" I replied, following Denny out of the front door

DENNY'S POV:

"Was my Mum trying to feed you?" I questioned as Casey and I reached the beach

"How did you guess?" he asked

"She does it to anyone who visits" I informed him "she thinks everyone we know needs feeding up"

"She's a great lady though; can see where you get it from" he admitted, smiling at me warmly

I reciprocated his warm smile… "You're going to give me a big head in a minute"

He held his hands up in defence… "I'm going to prove to you my brother didn't mind you having a free meal last night"

"What? How?" I questioned

"Brax" Casey called to someone as they made their way up the beach from the water

"Alright, Case?" he inquired

"Brax, this is Denny. She and her Mum had the free meal I told you about at the restaurant" he informed him "Denny; this is my brother, Brax"

"Nice to meet you" I greeted him

"Nice to meet you too" he mirrored "did you enjoy the food?"

"It was lovely thanks" I informed him

"That's what I like to hear" he replied "hadn't you both better be getting to school?"

"Yes" Casey proclaimed "come on, you"

Taking a hold of my wrist, he pulled me along the beach, our walk to school continuing…

CASEY'S POV:

"What do you want to do for lunch?" I asked Denny as we walked into school a little while later

She shrugged her shoulders… "It's 8:45am, Casey, how can you be thinking about lunch?"

"This one's always thinking about food" Bianca informed Denny as she walked past

"It's true, I am" I admitted, smiling at her warmly

"Well we'll decide at lunchtime" she informed me, smirking at me

"Okay" I replied "text me when you finish up in your lesson and I'll come meet you"

Nodding her head in agreement, we exchanged goodbyes and went off our separate ways…

**So, come on, people. Thoughts please…**


	4. Chapter 4

DENNY'S POV:

I'd been in Summer Bay just over a month, and since the day I'd met Casey, our friendship had only grown and solidified, and I was lucky to have him, Sasha and Matt in my life…

"Boo" Casey greeted me as I sat in the library working on an assignment

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack before exams?" I questioned

"Wouldn't that be a good thing? It'd get you special consideration for one thing" he chuckled

"No it wouldn't" I replied "because I want to get them out of the way as soon as possible"

"What are you stressing out for? You're going to nail them, trust me" he assured me

I smiled at him warmly and finished up on the computer I'd been occupying for the last hour and a half… "I assume you're here to walk me home?"

"Correct" he replied

"Then let's go, surfer boy" I stated, hitching my bag onto my shoulder

CASEY'S POV:

I'd been in two minds about whether to ask Denny to the end of year prom since Sasha had suggested it just over a week ago. Deciding to throw caution to the wind as we walked up her driveway, I stopped in my tracks…

"What's wrong?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at me in confusion

"Nothing, I'm just trying to figure out how to ask you something" I admitted

"What is it?" she inquired

"What would you say if I asked you to go to the end of year prom with me?" I questioned

"No" she replied

"Why not?" I asked

"Because… You're joking, aren't you?" she inquired

"Why would you think I'm joking?" I questioned

"Look at me, and then look at you" she replied "why would someone like you want to take someone like me to the prom?"

"Maybe because you're my friend and I enjoy your company?" I suggested, raising an eyebrow at her "you're a great girl, Denny, with an amazing personality to boot. You need to give yourself credit for that"

"No one's looked at me twice since I've been here" she admitted

"Then they're stupid" I informed her "sometimes, it's not all about looks"

"Do you really think that?" she questioned

I nodded my head, signalling yes… "I'm more interested in if I get on with a girl and what we have in common as oppose to how she looks"

"Just when I think you couldn't get any better, you go and surprise me yet again" she admitted

I smiled at her warmly… "So, is that a yes?"

"Yes, it's a yes" she informed me

"So I'll see you tomorrow morning then?" I inquired

"Tomorrow's Saturday?" she questioned

"You've forgotten you agreed to a surfing lesson, haven't you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her

"No" she sighed "but I was hoping you had. Tomorrow then, what time?"

"9am on the beach?" I questioned

"I'll be there" she replied "see you tomorrow"

"See you tomorrow" I mirrored

**Awe, so Casey's asked Denny to prom and she's said yes! What will happen, I wonder?**


	5. Chapter 5

DENNY'S POV:

"Okay, I'm here, let's get this over with" I proclaimed as I walked over to Casey

"You're really not looking forward to this, are you?" he questioned

"The water scares me" I admitted, licking my suddenly dry lips

"Why didn't you just say that? I wouldn't have pestered you into it" he admitted

"I've got to conquer my fear someday, haven't I?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow at him "so that day can be today. Where do we start first?"

CASEY'S POV:

"_Where do we start first?"_

As I was about to reply, Denny placed her bag on the sand and pulled off her sundress and I couldn't stop myself from staring, her green floral bikini coming into view…

"Casey…" Denny's voice spoke, snapping me from my trance

"Sorry" I replied, clearing my throat "first off; we need to get your stance sorted"

"Okay" she stated "how do we do that?"

Shaking my head at her, I held my hand out to her, swallowing a lump in my throat as I felt a jolt of electricity shoot through me. Helping her onto the surfboard I'd brought down for her, I let go…

"Feet apart and knees bent" I informed her

"Like this?" she questioned

"That's it" I replied, smiling at her warmly "now try moving back and forth, it'll help with your balance when we get into the water"

DENNY'S POV:

I felt myself slipping backwards as I moved back and forth, my arms flailing in the air as I fell, Casey's arms grabbing me before I fell flat onto the surfboard beneath me…

"Thank you" I sighed

"You okay?" he questioned

I nodded my head, signalling yes, swallowing a lump in my throat… "Just embarrassed"

"It happened to me when I first started surfing" he admitted "so don't be. It's a part of the learning process"

"Do you think we could just get out into the water then?" I suggested, raising an eyebrow at him

He nodded his head, signalling yes… "Follow me"

After my surf lesson with Casey I received a text from Sasha, asking her to meet me at the diner as she was finishing her feet. Taking a seat at a vacant table, I began to look through the paper, turning to the job section…

"We need to go dress shopping!" she proclaimed as she sat down next to me twenty minutes later

"No, what I need to do is find myself a job" I informed her "but why would we need to go dress shopping?"

"Because Casey's asked you to prom and you've said yes" she replied

"Hang on, how do you know?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at her

"Casey told Matt who told me. It's going to be such a fun night" she squealed

"Is it really that big of a deal?" I asked

"You did not just ask me that" she replied

"Well, is it? It's getting dressed up for one night of the year. Why the big deal over a dress?" I questioned

"Denny, Denny, Denny" she sighed, shaking her head at me "you've got a lot to learn"

"Well, seeing as though shops will be closing in Yabbie Creek very soon, I'm going to continue looking for a job and we'll go and dress shop tomorrow, okay?" I inquired

"It's a deal" she informed me "and I may be able to help you on the job front too…"

"How?" I asked

"Come with me" she replied. Before I could say anything else, she'd taken my hand and dragged me from my seat and out of the diner

"Mr. Stewart" Sasha called a minute or so later

"Yes, Sasha?" he questioned

"I've got the perfect candidate for your helper here at the bait shop" she informed him

"You have, have you?" he inquired

She nodded her head, signalling yes… "Meet Denny"

"Nice to meet you, love" he greeted me, holding out his hand for me to shake

"Nice to meet you too" I mirrored

"What do you know about boats and fishing?" he questioned

"I can fix up a rusty old boat" I replied "fishing's okay but not my forte"

"Do you think you could find your way around a bait shop?" he inquired

I nodded my head, signalling yes… "Once I got the hang of the place, yeah"

"Good" he replied "so shall we say you start Saturday morning on a 2 week trial?"

"That'd be great, thank you" I proclaimed

Nodding his head, he said his goodbyes and made his way back inside…

"Thank you" I sighed, turning to Sasha and hugging her tightly

"You're welcome" she replied "so what's the plan for tonight then?"

"Sleepover at mine?" I suggested, raising an eyebrow at her "Mum's out of town on business and I don't fancy being stuck up at the farmhouse on my own"

"Horror movie marathon?" she questioned as we linked arms and began to walk

"What did I just say about not fancying being stuck at the farmhouse on my own?" I asked

"We won't be on our own" she replied "because I've just text Matt and Casey informing them of what's on the cards"

I shook my head at her and chuckled, both of us making our way back to hers to pack an overnight bag…

CASEY'S POV:

By the time Matt and I arrived at the farmhouse later that evening, armed with drink, pizza and chocolate per Sasha and Denny's request, the living room had been transformed. The sofas and chairs had been pushed back and there were now mattresses lying on the floor for us to put our bedding on…

"Sasha put you to work, I take it?" I asked Denny as I dumped my bags on the table

"Aha" she replied "she can be a real slave driver when she wants to be"

"I heard that" she proclaimed from the living room as she set up her bed

"You were meant to" Denny informed her "so, what have we got?"

"Plenty of pizza, drink and lots of chocolate" I replied as she began to root through the bags

"What film's first then?" Matt questioned as he looked through Denny's collection of DVD's

"Paranormal Activity?" Sasha suggested, raising an eyebrow at us

Denny and I both nodded our heads in agreement and made our way to the now makeshift bedroom/living room. I watched Denny as she climbed into her sleeping bag and smiled at her warmly as she noticed me watching her, moving to make myself comfortable next to her as she patted the free space next to her…

DENNY'S POV:

"Sash, if you're going to cower and bury your head in Matt's chest, why the hell are we watching horror films?" I questioned as the credits rolled on Paranormal Activity

"I didn't realise it'd be so scary" she admitted

"The key is in the word horror, Sash" Casey chuckled

"Shut up!" she proclaimed "can we not watch a girlie flick and then go back to the horrors?"

"No way" Casey, Matt and I replied

"Are you actually enjoying yourself?" Sasha inquired, raising an eyebrow at me

I nodded my head, signalling yes… "I love horror films"

"You're crazy" she sighed "crazy, crazy, crazy"

"Where are you going?" I questioned as she stood up and made her way out of the room

"To the bathroom" she informed me

"Are you sure you're not too scared something will jump out and get you?" Matt asked

"What?" she questioned

"I'm kidding" he chuckled

"Too late" she proclaimed "you're coming with me"

Shaking his head at her, he stood up and they left the room and I moved closer to Casey…

"You okay?" he asked, a smile appearing on my face as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder

"I am now" I informed him, looking up at him as I rested my head on his shoulder

CASEY'S POV:

I don't know what had possessed Denny to move closer to me and rest her head on my shoulder but whatever it was, I didn't mind it…

DENNY'S POV:

Sasha smiled at me knowingly as she and Matt returned to the room, Casey's hand running up and down my arm…

"Shall I put the next film on?" she questioned

"Please" I replied as I opened one of the bars of chocolate Casey and Matt had brought with them

"Here we go" she sighed as she moved back over to Matt as he sat down "Paranormal Activity 2"

**Are the lines between friendship/relationship becoming blurred for Casey and Denny or does she just feel that comfortable around him to snuggle up to him? What next chapter?**


	6. Chapter 6

CASEY'S POV:

"Case…" Brax called as he walked into the house that afternoon

"You called?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at him as I walked through from my bedroom

"I need you to look after the restaurant for me tonight" he informed me

"I can't, I've got plans" I replied

"Case, I wouldn't ask if I weren't desperate. It's mine and Ricky's anniversary and I wanna do something special for her, and I know in your hands, everything will run smoothly, so please, just say yes" he begged

I glanced at my phone as I received a text from Denny, confirming our plans for when she finished her first shift at the bait shop that evening. Sighing heavily, I nodded my head, signalling yes…

DENNY'S POV:

"_Sorry, something's come up. I'll see you tomorrow x"_

"You've been staring at that thing for the past ten minutes" Sasha chuckled as she sat down next to me

"Maybe I scared him off" I sighed

"What? Scared who off?" she questioned

"Casey… We had plans for after I finished my first shift at the bait shop and he's bailed on me" I explained

"Did he give you a reason why?" she asked

I shook my head, signalling no… "He's freaked out because I cuddled closer to him during our movie night"

"Why would that bother him?" she inquired "it's obvious he likes you just as much as you like him"

"I don't like him" I proclaimed, chuckling nervously

"Right" she replied, smirking at me "I better get back to it. Why don't you, Matt and I do something tonight instead?"

"Like?" I questioned

"I don't know. Yabbie Creek to see a film?" she suggested

"And have me play gooseberry with you and Matt?" I inquired "no way! I'll just finish off my shift and go home. See you tomorrow"

"Bye" she replied as I stood up and walked out of the diner, making my way back to the bait shop

**Why didn't Casey give Denny an explanation as to why he couldn't see her after she finished her shift? What's gonna happen next?**


	7. Chapter 7

DENNY'S POV:

"Morning" Casey's voice greeted me as I sat at the counter in the diner, waiting for someone to sort the cake I'd ordered for mine and Mum's dessert after this evening's meal

"Hi" I greeted him

"Do you wanna do something today?" he questioned

"I can't. I've got a lot to do, sorry" I replied, sighing with relief as Irene brought my order to me. Thanking her, I slid past Casey and made my way out of the diner

CASEY'S POV:

"Jeez, what have you done to upset her?" Irene inquired as I watched Denny leave

"I don't know" I admitted "can I get…?"

"Don't you think you should go after her and find out then?" she suggested, cutting me off mid-sentence

"You think I should?" I questioned

"Yes" she proclaimed "God, boys, sometimes"

DENNY'S POV:

I walked along the beach when I heard Casey shouting my name. Ignoring him, I continued to hear his voice as it got louder and louder until he stopped in front of me, placing his hands on my shoulders…

"I get that I've done something wrong but is there any need to be so rude?" he questioned

"You're calling me rude? Really?" I inquired

"You don't just ignore someone when they're calling your name" he replied

"And you don't just cancel plans with a friend without an explanation" I informed him

"Denny, wait" he sighed as I pushed past him and continued to walk

"What, Casey?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow at him as he stopped in front of me yet again

"Can we talk? How about we go back to mine?" he suggested

"I should really be getting back…" I admitted

"Please, it won't take long" he assured me

Nodding my head, signalling yes, I followed him up the beach, both of us arriving back at his place ten minutes later…

CASEY'S POV:

"So you're upset with me because I cancelled our plans last night?" I inquired

"Not upset, more confused" Denny admitted "you didn't even give me an explanation. I was so worried that me cuddling up to you when we were watching films the other night had scared you away, I…"

I chuckled and cupped her cheek in my hand… "Why don't you just stop talking?"

"Casey, what?" she questioned

As our lips were about to touch, the door opened and we jumped apart, Brax and Ricky walking into the kitchen…

"Sorry for interrupting, lovebirds" Brax chuckled

"You didn't. I've got to go" Denny admitted, avoiding eye contact with all of us as she hurried from the house

I sighed heavily and ran my hands over my face…

"You not gonna go after her, Case?" Ricky questioned

"Can you?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow at her "and take this to her too?"

She smiled at me warmly and took the cake box from me, following Denny out of the door…

DENNY'S POV:

I was at the end of the bridge when I heard Ricky calling my name. Sighing, I turned and waited for her to reach me…

"Boy, you can walk fast" she chuckled, handing me the cake box

"Thanks" I replied, motioning to the box that was now in my hands

"How about we walk and talk?" she suggested, raising an eyebrow at me

Nodding my head, signalling yes, we began to walk, making our way towards the beach…

"Did Brax and I interrupt something?" she questioned

"Maybe, I don't know" I admitted

"It looked pretty intimate" she replied "I take it you like him too?"

"Casey likes me?" I inquired, stopping in my tracks, turning to face her

"As if you didn't know" she chuckled "he's mad about you. That's obvious to anyone, even Brax"

"And I've gone and messed things up big time" I sighed

"Why have you?" she inquired

"The other night when we had that movie night at mine, I cuddled up to him and then just gave him a load of spiel about how I was worried I'd scared him off" I explained

She smiled at me sympathetically and placed her hand on my shoulder… "If I were you, I'd talk to him before prom comes around"

"There is no way I'm going to prom now" I proclaimed

"I know it's none of my business but believe me, you'll regret it if you don't" she replied

"So I'm meant to just go without a date, am I?" I questioned

"I thought you and Case were going together?" she inquired

"As if he'll wanna go with me now" I sighed

"Of course he'll want to go with you" she informed me "have you not been listening?! That boy is crazy about you, so you need to talk to him before it's too late"

"If he was so crazy about me, then why didn't he come after me himself?" I questioned "thanks for the chat, but I really need to go"

"Denny, just think about what I said, yeah?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at me

Nodding my head, signalling yes, I made my way up the beach…

**Poor Denny, and poor Casey too…**


	8. Chapter 8

CASEY'S POV:

"Here…" Brax stated, nudging my shoulder

Turning to him, he handed me a beer. Smiling at him weakly, I took it from him and opened it, taking a long sip…

"You like her, don't you?" he questioned

"Who?" I inquired

"Don't play dumb, Case" he sighed "Denny. You like her, right?"

"Can we just not talk about it please?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him

Brax nodded his head, signalling yes and held his hands up in defence. Thanking him, I was about to make my way through to my bedroom when Ricky walked in the door and took my beer from me…

"What the…?" I questioned

"Go and talk to her yourself" she replied "sort things out, put things right"

"I can't" I admitted

"Why not?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow at me

"What am I meant to say to her when I like her so much?" he asked

"Just tell her how you feel, or you'll be going to the prom without a date" she informed me

Sighing heavily, I ran my hands over my face… "Brax, can I borrow your Ute?"

He nodded his head, signalling yes, digging into his pocket, throwing me his keys…

DENNY'S POV:

I heard a car pull up the drive and moved to the window, sighing as I saw Brax's Ute pull up, Casey in the driver's seat…

"Who is it?" Mum questioned

"No one" I replied "don't bother answering the door, okay?"

"Denise…" she called as I went to leave the room

"Hmm?" I inquired

"What's going on?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at me

I swallowed a lump in my throat and exhaled a breath I didn't know I'd been holding… "It's Casey"

"And why can't we answer the door to him?" she inquired

"Because things are awkward at the minute" I informed her

"Well don't you think it's better to sort things out with him than leave them awkward?" she asked

"How am I meant to sort things out with him, Mum? We were close to sharing a kiss and then his brother interrupted us" I admitted

A knock at the front door sounded as she was about to reply… "Denny!"

"Talk to him" she proclaimed "for goodness sake, just talk to him. I'll be in my room if you need me"

Switching the oven off, I sighed and made my way to the front door, opening it to Casey…

"Can I come in?" he questioned

I moved out of the doorway and motioned for him to come in. Shutting the door behind him, I followed him into the living room, shutting that door behind me too…

"About what happened back at mine, I'm sorry" he admitted

"It's fine. Shall we just say we got caught up in the moment?" I suggested

"If that's what you want?" he inquired

"Well that's what it was, wasn't it?" I questioned "you were only going to kiss me to shut me up, weren't you?"

"Yeah" he replied, chuckling nervously "sorry, but I had no other options"

"It's fine" I assured him, smiling at him weakly "we're good, yeah?"

"We're good" he informed me "and prom's still on, yeah?"

I nodded my head, signalling yes… "I'm looking forward to it"

"Me too" he replied "hug?"

I smiled at him warmly as he pulled me closer to him and wrapped his arms around me tightly. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I buried my head into his shoulder and cursed myself for not being honest. Pulling apart a minute or two later, he stood up from the sofa…

"I better be off" he admitted "see you tomorrow morning to walk together?"

"Yeah" I replied, following him out of the room to the front door "see you tomorrow"

Opening the front door, he stepped out onto the porch and turned back once more to smile at me before making his way back to Brax's Ute. Watching him as he started the engine and drove off, I sighed heavily and shut the door behind me, leaning against it…

"Do we need that chocolate cake before our actual meal?" Mum questioned

"Yes please" I replied

Smiling at me warmly, she wrapped her arms around me and we made our way into the kitchen…

**Why wasn't Denny honest with Casey about how she felt? And why wasn't Casey honest with Denny? I just want to bang their heads together…**


	9. Chapter 9

DENNY'S POV:

"Right, no more putting it off; we need to go dress shopping" Sasha proclaimed

"I have plans" I informed her

"Cancel them. We need to find the perfect dresses as the prom is only two weeks away" she replied

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" I questioned

"What do you think?" she inquired

Shaking my head at her, I pulled out my phone and text Casey…

"_Sorry, Sasha's dragging me dress shopping for the prom. Pizza later? X"_

CASEY'S POV:

I laughed as I read Denny's text whilst walking through to the kitchen from my bedroom…

"_Just so you're aware, she may go nuts so have fun, and yeah, pizza later sounds good. We'll arrange when you're back x"_

DENNY'S POV:

I smiled warmly as I received Casey's text as Sasha and I waited at the bus stop…

"Casey?" she asked, breaking me from my trance

I nodded my head, signalling yes…

"What exactly is going on between you two?" she inquired

"Nothing, we're mates. End of" I replied

"But you like him and he likes you" she sighed

"Can you just drop it please?" I questioned as the bus pulled up

We arrived in Yabbie Creek half-an-hour later, Sasha pulling me into the first dress shop we arrived in…

"Right" she proclaimed, pulling her bag from her shoulder and setting it on the chair in the corner "we'll get you sorted first as I already know exactly what I want. Firstly, colours?"

I shrugged my shoulders as I sat down, placing her bag on my knee…

"Denny" she sighed

"What? I don't mind. You pick something for me" I replied

"Honestly?" she questioned

I nodded my head, signalling yes… "You can be my personal stylist for the prom"

"Yay" she proclaimed, rubbing her hands together gleefully

Shaking my head at her as she began to sift through the numerous dresses on display, I busied myself on my phone…

"What about this one?" Sasha questioned

Looking up from my phone, I smiled warmly as she held a navy blue, lace panelled dress up…

"I love it" I admitted

"Get in there and try it on then" she proclaimed, holding her hand out to me

Shoving my phone into my pocket, I let her drag me up and took the dress from her, staring at it as I made my way into the changing room…

I made my way out of the changing room after trying my dress on and smiled at Sasha warmly…

"So?" Sasha inquired

"I'll have it" I informed her

She smiled at me warmly and stood up from the chair again, moving back to the rack of dresses… "This is mine. What do you think?"

"You're gonna look amazing, and you'll most definitely knock Matt off his feet" I replied

"And you'll knock Casey off his in yours" she informed me

"Sash, can you stop?" I inquired "nothing's going on between us and nothing ever will"

"Whatever you say" she replied "right, now the dresses are sorted, it's time for shoes and accessories"

CASEY'S POV:

Denny walked into Angelo's and flopped down in a seat in the booth I'd acquired for us. Throwing her bags down by her side, she rested her head back…

"Long day?" I questioned

She nodded her head, signalling yes… "I need pizza and then gelato, in that order"

Smiling at her warmly as she sat up straight and took a sip of her drink, I handed her a menu…

DENNY'S POV:

An hour and a half later, Casey and I walked up my driveway and stopped on my porch, a silence falling over us…

"Thanks for walking me home" I stated

"What sort of friend would I be if I didn't?" he questioned

I smiled at him warmly… "Night, Casey"

"Night" he mirrored

I knew I needed to turn and walk the few yards to my front door but I couldn't tear myself from Casey's gaze. Watching him, he stepped onto the step up to my porch and pressed his lips against my cheek, my eyes shutting of their own accord…

DENNY'S PROM DRESS:

shop/womens/dresses/ax-paris-navy-contrast-lace-panel-skater-dress_318153841

SASHA'S PROM DRESS:

shop/womens/dresses/white-bardot-neck-ditsy-print-skater-dress_317161219


	10. Chapter 10

DENNY'S POV:

"_Come on, you wimp. Come in for just 5 minutes"_

"_How many times do I have to say it? No way!"_

_Casey smirked at me and I knew what he was planning but didn't have enough time to bolt as he threw me over his shoulder, heading for the water, placing me down, feet first thankfully into the warm water…_

"_Idiot"_

"_What was that?"_

"_Nothing"_

_Smiling at me warmly, he threw some water into my face…_

"_Casey"_

"_What you gonna do?"_

_Bending down, I let some water seep between my hands and threw it at him, a water fight ensuing…_

"_Okay, okay, okay"_

"_Had enough?"_

_I nodded my head, signalling yes, moving closer to him, winding my arms around his neck…_

"_What would you rather be doing instead then?"_

_I smiled at him warmly and moved my face towards his, letting my lips brush over his. Gasping as he pulled me flush into his body, one arm wrapped around my waist, one hand cupping my cheek, he pressed his lips against mine…_

I was awoken by my alarm that morning. Sleepily reaching for it, I finally switched it off, sighing heavily as I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling…

"Denny, are you awake yet?" Mum's voice questioned

"Yeah" I replied

"Good. Breakfast will be on the table in 5 minutes" she informed me

Pushing my bedcover back, I rubbed my sleep-filled eyes and made my way into the kitchen…

"How did you sleep, darling?" she asked as I sat myself down at the table

"Good thanks" I replied

She smiled at me warmly and I sighed as I was about to pour myself some juice when my phone vibrated…

"Anyone special?" Mum inquired as I checked my phone, seeing a text from Casey

"Nope" I informed her

"_Heading to the beach later this morning, do you fancy it? X"_

"_Sorry but no thanks. Gotta study x"_

"_Don't work too hard. See you soon x"_

Locking my keypad, I placed my phone back down on the table and proceeded to pour Mum and myself some juice as she served up the blueberry pancakes she'd been making. Smiling at her warmly as she sat down next to me, we both tucked in…

"Denny, love?" Mum questioned, knocking on my bedroom door a little while later

"Yeah?" I asked

"Can you go to the Bay and pick up a few things for me please? I'd do it but I'm snowed under with work" she explained "it'd be a real help"

"Can it not wait till tomorrow or something?" I questioned

"What, or should I say who, are you trying to avoid?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at me

"I don't know what you're talking about" I admitted "I just need to study"

"This is about Casey, isn't it?" she inquired as I turned back to my desk

Keeping my eyes fixated on the book in front of me, I nodded my head, signalling yes…

"I thought you two were friends again?" she asked

"We are, but something happened last night and now I'm totally confused" I informed her

"What happened?" she questioned

"He kissed my cheek when we said goodnight after he'd walked me home" I replied "why would he kiss my cheek if we were just friends?"

"Darling" she chuckled "you're reading far too much into this! Talk to Casey and straighten things out once and for all before prom"

"I'm going to make up an excuse on the day, say I'm ill" I admitted

"Denise" she proclaimed "there is no way you're doing that!"

"But Mum…" I sighed

"But Mum nothing" she replied, holding her hand up to stop me from talking "you're going to go to the Bay and get the bits we need, and if you see Casey you see him, and if you don't, you don't, got it?"

"Got it" I informed her

"Thank you" she stated "take some money from my purse"

I made my way to the Bay after getting myself organised, sighing heavily as I saw Casey making his way into the water with Brax…

CASEY'S POV:

"Where was your head today?" Brax asked as we walked out of the water a little while later

"What?" I questioned as we reached where we'd dumped our towels, proceeding to dry ourselves

"It certainly wasn't out there" he replied, motioning to the water "I thought you and Denny had sorted things out and were good again?"

"We are" I informed him "it's just…"

"Just what?" he inquired

"Never mind" I sighed, looking towards the diner, seeing Denny making her way down the steps "Denny…"

DENNY'S POV:

I heard Casey call my name and prayed to God he wouldn't come after me. Ignoring him, I continued to walk back up the beach and back to the farmhouse…

CASEY'S POV:

I made my way back to the house as Brax made his way to the restaurant, messaging Denny in the process…

"_Hey. Can't believe you didn't hear me shouting you earlier. Can we meet? X"_

Locking my keypad, I continued my journey back to the house…

DENNY'S POV:

I'd just finished putting the shopping away when my phone beeped, signalling I had a text. Picking it up, I saw Casey's name on-screen. Swallowing a lump in my throat, I opened it...

"You okay, love?" Mum asked as she walked into the kitchen

I nodded my head, signalling yes… "Do you mind if I go out tonight?"

"Course not" she replied "Casey?"

"Yeah, he wants to meet" I informed her

Squeezing my arm, she made her way to the fridge. Looking back at my phone, I replied to Casey…

"_Sorry, in a daydream, you know what it's like with exams! Sure, name a time and place and I'll be there x"_

CASEY'S POV:

Denny and I had arranged to meet on the pier. Sitting, dangling my feet over the edge, I heard footsteps and looked up, seeing her walking down to me…

"Hey" she greeted me as she sat down next to me

"Hi" I mirrored "you okay?"

"Not too bad" she replied "stressed about exams but apart from that I'm good. You?"

"Same" I chuckled, nudging her shoulder as she stared off into the distance "Denny…?"

"Yeah?" she questioned

"Did you really not hear me shouting you earlier?" I asked

DENNY'S POV:

"_Did you really not hear me shouting you earlier?"_

"I did" I admitted, swallowing a lump in my throat "but I'm embarrassed"

"Why?" Casey inquired, raising an eyebrow at me in confusion

"Why do you think? Because of what Brax and Ricky walked in on" I informed him

"You don't need to be worried about that" he chuckled "Brax has seen much worse, with me and with Heath"

I smiled weakly at him… "Sorry"

"What must he think of me though?" I questioned

"He thinks you're pretty cool actually" he admitted "and likes the fact that you make me smile. There's not been much to smile about lately"

"I promise from now on, I won't ignore you" I assured him "Scout's Honour"

He chuckled and pulled me into him, wrapping his arm around my shoulder…

"Case?" I asked

"Hmm?" he inquired

"You need a shower" I admitted

"Oi, I had one before I came to meet you" he informed me

I pulled away from him and smiled at him warmly… "Are we okay?"

"We're good" he assured me

**So Casey and Denny have FINALLY buried the hatchet. What next?**


	11. Chapter 11

CASEY'S POV:

"Wit woo" Ricky proclaimed as I walked through into the living room

"Shut it" I chuckled

She held her hands up in defence and smiled at me warmly… "You look very handsome"

"Thanks" I replied

"Do you have time for a couple of pictures?" she questioned

"Really?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow at her

"Gotta document the day somehow, haven't you?" she asked "so…?"

"Okay" I replied "where do you want me?"

After the pictures had been done I grabbed Brax's Ute keys and drove up to the farmhouse to collect Denny…

DENNY'S POV:

"Oh, darling, you look gorgeous" Mum proclaimed

"Don't cry" I begged "I'll have to redo my mascara if you do because I'll cry too"

"Sorry" she replied, wiping underneath her eyes "I just can't believe how grown up you are"

I smiled at her warmly and was about to reply when a knock at the door sounded… "That'll be Casey"

"Ooh, picture time" she squealed, hurrying into the living room to fetch her camera

Shaking my head at her, I opened the door to Casey… "Hi"

"Hi. You look… Wow" he greeted me, smiling at me warmly

"Thanks. You don't scrub up too bad either" I replied

"Right, pictures" Mum proclaimed, hurrying back into the hallway

Raising an eyebrow at Casey, he nodded his head and moved towards me, wrapping his arm around my waist, both of us smiling whilst Mum snapped pictures…

"I got you this" Casey admitted once Mum had disappeared back into the living room, pulling a box from his trouser pocket. Opening it up, I was greeted by a beautiful navy blue wrist corsage

"Casey, it's beautiful" I proclaimed "thank you. But how did you know the colour of my dress?"

"I asked Sasha and told her I was planning on getting you this so she told me" he informed me "do you like it?"

"I love it" I replied, smiling at him warmly as he took it from the box and slipped it onto my wrist "thank you"

CASEY'S POV:

Denny and I made our way out of the door a couple of minutes later and over to Brax's Ute. Opening the passenger side door for her, she climbed inside and I made my way round to the driver's side…

DENNY'S POV:

Casey and I arrived at the school fifteen minutes later, making our way into the hall, seeing that it had been transformed from it's normal state to one of beauty…

"Denny!" Sasha proclaimed, snapping me from my trance as I looked around the room

"Hi" I greeted her as she reached me

"We have a crisis" she admitted

"What?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow at her in confusion

"Matt's snuck alcohol in" she whispered, sighing heavily

"He could get expelled for that" I proclaimed

"I've tried to tell him that but he won't listen" she sighed "what do I do?"

"You can stick with us, right, Case?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at him

"Course" he replied "I'll get us some drinks, yeah?"

Sasha and I nodded our heads, signalling yes and made our way to a vacant table…

CASEY'S POV:

"I'm just nipping to the loo" Sasha informed us a little while later

"Fancy a dance?" I asked Denny as Sasha left the hall, a slow song beginning to play

She nodded her head, signalling yes. Smiling at her, I got to my feet and pulled her up, leading her onto the dancefloor…

"Are you having a good time?" I questioned

"Yeah" she replied "are you?"

"Yeah" I mirrored "and that's thanks to you"

"Why is it?" she inquired

"I don't know; you don't pretend to be something you're not" I informed her "I like that"

I watched Denny as she pulled away from me a little and looked up at me, her head moving closer to mine…

"Get off me, Matt" Sasha's voice proclaimed, breaking us apart

"You handle Matt, I'll handle Sasha" I informed Denny as we hurried over

DENNY'S POV:

Leading Sasha across the hall to the drinks table, we watched as Casey guided Matt outside…

"You okay?" I questioned

"He's such an idiot" she sighed "why does he have to do this?"

"Sorry he's ruined your night, Sash" I replied, smiling at her sympathetically

"I might just go home" she admitted

"No, you've got to stay. Have a dance, eat some food, and then you can come sleep over at mine, yeah?" I suggested, raising an eyebrow at her

She smiled at me warmly and nodded her head, signalling yes…

CASEY'S POV:

Denny had disappeared off somewhere and I'd ended up dancing with Sasha... "How you doing?"

"Okay, thanks for asking" she replied

"Matt just wanted to inject some fun into this thing, you know that, right?" I questioned

"And ruin my night in the process" she admitted "he knew how important this was to me"

"I'm sure he didn't mean to, Sash" I replied

DENNY'S POV:

I leant against the brick wall, enjoying the cool evening that had fallen over the Bay as the prom had gone on when I saw Matt walking towards me…

"You sobered up a bit now?" I questioned

"Now I've thrown up, yeah" he replied

"Nice" I chuckled "you're gonna have a headache tomorrow, you know that, right?"

He nodded his head, signalling yes… "Do you think Sash will forgive me?"

"There's only one way to find out" I replied, holding my arm out to him "shall we?"

He smiled at me warmly and linked his arm through mine, both of us making our way back to the hall, stopping in our tracks as we watched Sasha and Casey kissing…

"Denny, Denny, love, is that you?" Mum questioned as I hurried into the house, slamming my bedroom door shut behind me, finally letting the tears fall

"Just leave me alone, Mum" I begged

"Darling, why are you crying?" she asked

"Just leave me alone" I proclaimed, continuing to sob into my pillow

**Oh dear, oh dear. What's going to happen now?**


	12. Chapter 12

CASEY'S POV:

Things had taken a turn for the worst. When Matt had seen Sasha and me kissing, he'd pulled us apart and punched me, sending me straight to the floor. As he was about to punch me again, some of the teachers made their way over and escorted him out and helped me to my feet, getting me some ice for my face…

"Maddy, have you seen Denny? I can't find her anywhere" I questioned

"She and Matt came back into the hall together. Since then I haven't seen her" she replied

I sighed heavily… "Thanks"

DENNY'S POV:

I woke up as my alarm went off the next morning, finding I was still in my prom dress, my make up smeared all over my face as a result of falling asleep after crying my eyes out. Sitting up, my eyes caught the corsage on my wrist. Swallowing a lump in my throat, I took it from my wrist and stared at it, not being able to bring myself to throw it in the bin. Setting it down on my bedside table instead, I grabbed a fresh pair of pyjamas and my dressing gown and made my way into the bathroom to shower…

"You can't sit there all day" Mum informed me as she walked into the living room a little while later

"How come?" I questioned "I don't have school, I don't have any exams, and I think I deserve a day to myself"

"Are you going to tell me why you came home in tears last night?" she inquired

"It's something I want to forget about" I admitted, swallowing a lump in my throat

"Did Casey do something?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at me

"Did you not just hear what I said? I want to forget about it, Mum" I sighed

"Fine, I'll go and ask him myself then" she informed me. Watching her, she grabbed her handbag and car keys and made her way to the living room doorway…

"Okay, okay, okay" I proclaimed "he kissed Sasha. That's why I came home in tears"

"Sasha? As in Matt's girlfriend Sasha? As in your best friend Sasha?" she questioned

"Yes, Mum, the very one" I replied

"Why would he kiss her?" she inquired

"I didn't stick around long enough to hear his excuses" I admitted

"Oh, darling" she sighed, setting her things down on the side, moving over to me

CASEY'S POV:

I sighed heavily as I looked into the mirror of the bathroom, seeing my bruised eye, cut lip and swollen cheek. How was I going to explain this one?!

"There you are" Ricky proclaimed "we didn't think you were going to emerge from your pit today. How was the…? Case, what the hell happened?"

"What do you mean?" Brax's voice questioned. Walking through from the living room to where I stood in the kitchen, his face turned to one of anger "who did that to you?"

"I deserved it" I informed him, beginning to root through the fridge

"I don't care whether you deserved it or not. I asked who did it" he replied, slamming the fridge door shut on me

"Matt" I admitted "Matt did it, but only because I kissed his girlfriend"

"You did what?" Ricky inquired

"Well she kissed me, but I didn't stop it" I explained

"Why not?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow at me

I shrugged my shoulders… "I guessed she was trying to get back at Matt, so I let her"

"Even though you like Denny? Have you even thought about her in all of this?" she asked

"Of course I have" I replied, sighing heavily "I haven't seen her since before it happened"

"Please tell me she didn't see it" she begged

"Maddy said she and Matt came back into the hall together so I'm guessing she did" I admitted

"Casey" she proclaimed

"I know, I get it, I stuffed up big time. Don't you think I know that?" I questioned

"Oi, don't go taking it out on Ricky just because you're feeling guilty for stuffing up one of the best things that could've happened to you and your friendships in the process" Brax warned me

"What do I do?" I inquired

"You fix it, or you try to at least. Sooner rather than later" Ricky replied

DENNY'S POV:

A knock at the front door sounded as I finished getting dressed, realising Mum was right about the fact that I couldn't sit around all day moping. Opening the door, I swallowed a lump in my throat as I saw Casey stood outside on the porch…

"Hi" he greeted me

"Did Matt do that to you?" I questioned, motioning to his face

He nodded his head, signalling yes… "Denny, I'm sorry"

"It's not just our friendship that's been ruined, it's yours and Matt's too, and most likely Sasha and Matt's relationship. Did you think about that?" I asked

"I wasn't thinking" he admitted "it all happened so quickly. It was a few minutes of madness"

"Yeah, and in those few minutes of madness you've managed to ruin three relationships. Well done" I sighed, shutting the door on him, ignoring his calls of my name

CASEY'S POV:

Knowing Denny wouldn't come back to the door, I left the porch and made my way down the driveway and back to the Bay, deciding I needed a surf to clear my head and think some things through…

"What happened?" Brax questioned as I walked into the house an hour later

"She didn't forgive me and shut the door in my face" I informed him

"So you're just giving up, are you?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow at me

"She's not going to forgive me anytime soon so what am I meant to do?" I asked

"Not give up for one" he replied "be honest with her, Case. Now's the time to man up"

DENNY'S POV:

"Mum, don't get that" I begged as a knock at the door sounded

"Why not?" she questioned

"It's Casey, he's already been once today and I can't face him again" I admitted

Ignoring my pleas, she made her way to the front door and I bolted into my bedroom, shutting the door behind me, listening from the other side as I heard Mum open the door…

CASEY'S POV:

"Linda, is Denny in? I really need to speak to her" I admitted

"After what you did?" she questioned "you've broke my daughter's heart, you know that, don't you?"

"I do" I informed her "but I really just need to talk to her so I can put things right"

"How can you put things right?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow at me "go on, tell me!"

"I'd tell her how special she is to me, and how much she means to me, and hope she'd believe me" I admitted "I think I'm falling for her, and I know I've hurt her but I'm hoping she can find it in her heart to forgive me"

DENNY'S POV:

"_I'd tell her how special she is to me, and how much she means to me, and hope she'd believe me. I think I'm falling for her, and I know I've hurt her but I'm hoping she can find it in her heart to forgive me"_

"Mum, can you give us a minute please?" I asked, opening my bedroom door, stepping into the hallway

Mum glanced between Casey and me and nodded her head, signalling yes. Turning, she made her way down the hallway to her bedroom and I moved to the doorway…

"Why did you do it?" I questioned

"I knew Sasha was angry at Matt, and guessed that's the only reason she was doing it, so just went with it" he admitted

"Knowing I could've seen?" I inquired

"All I can do is keep apologising" he informed me "and I will until you forgive me"

"Promise me you'll never do anything like that to me again" I begged

"I promise" he assured me

I smiled at him warmly… "Did you mean everything you said to my Mum?"

"Yeah" he replied "and I'm really hoping you feel the same way or else I've just made a complete fool out of myself"

"You're in luck" I informed him "because I do"

"You do?" he questioned

I nodded my head, signalling yes, watching as he tentatively moved closer to me, my eyes shutting of their own accord as his hand cupped my cheek and his thumb brushed just underneath my eyelid. After what felt like hours, I finally felt his lips brush mine…

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt" Mum's voice spoke, breaking us apart "everything had gone quiet so I assumed you'd gone"

"Shall we go for a walk?" I suggested, raising an eyebrow at Casey

He nodded his head, signalling yes, turning and making his way out of the door. Glancing back at Mum, I smiled at her reassuringly and shut the door behind me, following Casey across to the fields…

"As you can probably tell, my Mum has impeccable timing" I chuckled

"Yeah, she does" he replied

I looked up at him from where I'd been staring at my feet to see he was stood within my personal space. Swallowing a lump in my throat, his arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me into him, my arms winding around his neck…

"Do you think we can try what was about to happen at your door again?" he asked

I nodded my head, signalling yes, smiling at him warmly as he leant his forehead against mine, his mouth moving closer to mine, his lips finally covering mine…

**So things have FINALLY progressed with Casey and Denny; will Sasha and Denny be able to fix their friendship, and what about Casey and Matt, and what about Sasha and Matt for that matter?**


	13. Chapter 13

DENNY'S POV:

"Before we go out, we need to decide something" I informed Casey

"We do?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow at me in intrigue

I nodded my head, signalling yes… "Do we act like we're together or do we not and keep it between us for now and see how it goes?"

"As much as I want to shout it from the rooftops that I'm with you, I think we should keep it just us for now" he admitted "but we can do whatever you're happy to do"

"I'm happy to keep it quiet for now too" I informed him, smiling at him warmly

"Good" he replied, wrapping his arms around my waist, pulling me into him "better make the most of you whilst we're on our own then, hadn't I?"

I nodded my head, signalling yes and wound my arms around his neck, creeping up onto my tiptoes as he pressed his lips against mine…

CASEY'S POV:

"Do you wanna go somewhere else?" I asked Denny as we walked into the diner, seeing Sasha stood behind the counter

She shook her head, signalling no… "I think I need to talk to her, don't you?"

"If you feel you're ready, yeah" I replied "I'll grab us a table, shall I?"

"Okay" she stated, making her way over to the counter

DENNY'S POV:

"Denny, I'm so sorry" Sasha proclaimed as I reached the counter

"Save the apologies" I begged "why did you do it?"

"To upset Matt, just like he'd upset me with the bringing alcohol to the prom thing" she admitted

"So you thought you'd kiss the guy you knew I liked?" I questioned

"He was the only one I knew it wouldn't be awkward with or wouldn't be read too much into" she explained "but I never meant for you to see it, only Matt"

"Could you not think of something else?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow at her "I take it Matt's gone AWOL?"

She nodded her head, signalling yes… "His phone's off and I've been to Leah's and there's no answer. What do I do?"

"You hope for the best" I informed her

She smiled at me weakly and sighed heavily… "Denny, are we okay?"

I nodded my head, signalling yes…

CASEY'S POV:

Denny sat down opposite me and smiled at me warmly as I looked up from the menu… "Sorted?"

She nodded her head, signalling yes… "Matt's gone AWOL though"

"I'm not surprised" I admitted "do you think they can fix things?"

"Hopefully once Matt's had time to cool off he'll realise how much Sasha means to him" she replied "and he'll see sense and get in touch"

As I was about to reply, I felt her foot trail up my leg… "What're you doing?"

She didn't reply, just smirked at me devilishly...

"Denny, I'm serious…" I warned her

"I like watching you squirm" she informed me

"I wish I could kiss you right now" I admitted

"Too bad you can't" she replied, standing up from the table abruptly "what're you having?"

**What a tease Denny is! Are you glad the Sasha/Denny friendship has been saved? But what about the Sasha/Matt relationship? Will it ever be the same again?**


	14. Chapter 14

DENNY'S POV:

Casey and I left the diner an hour later and decided to take a walk on the beach, making our way to the quieter side so we could act more like a couple. Jumping onto his back, locking my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist, he turned his head to me…

"Alright up there?" he questioned

"Aha" I replied, pressing a kiss to his cheek "thanks"

"No problem" he chuckled, continuing to walk along the beach

"Case, stop" I proclaimed a few minutes later

"What?" he asked as I climbed off of his back

Motioning up at the rocks, we saw Matt sat on one… "Do you mind if I…?"

He shook his head, signalling no… "I'll see you for your surf lesson later, yeah?

"Yeah" I replied, kissing him quickly before we said goodbye and walked off in opposite directions

I made my way across the beach and up to the rocks, not saying a word as I reached Matt, sitting down next to him…

"You and Casey looked all buddy again?" he inquired

"He's explained things to me, and I forgive him" I admitted

"Yet he couldn't come up here with you to do the same thing to me" he scoffed

"I think he was worried you might punch him again" I informed him

"I might have done" he admitted

"And violence is gonna solve this messed up situation, is it?" I questioned

"How am I meant to forgive her?" he asked

"Same way she's forgiven you for bringing alcohol to the prom" I replied

"The situations aren't the same though, are they?" he inquired

"No, but Sasha's forgiven you for being an idiot, can't you do the same for her?" I asked

Matt stayed silent for a while and I glanced at him… "Matt?"

"I don't know" he admitted "maybe given time, yeah"

"I'm gonna go and leave you to think about things" I informed him, placing my hand on his shoulder as I stood up "don't do anything stupid, okay?"

"What, like throw myself off of here?" he questioned

"Matt" I sighed, running my hands through my hair

"Joking" he assured me "thanks for the chat though, I appreciate it. And as for you and Casey…"

"What about me and Casey?" I inquired

"It's about time" he replied, smiling at me warmly

"About time for what?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at him

"That you two got together" he informed me "and don't try and tell me you're not because I saw the way you two were together, and I saw you kiss him"

"We're keeping it quiet for now" I admitted

"I thought Casey would wanna shout it from the rooftops" he replied

"He does, and so do I, but aren't relationships so much better when they're not out in the open for everyone to judge?" I inquired

He nodded his head, signalling yes…

"I'll see you soon" I informed him, bending down to kiss his cheek before making my way off the rocks and back down to the beach

CASEY'S POV:

"I thought we were meant to be meeting at the beach?" I questioned as I opened the door to Denny a while later

"I can always go…?" she suggested

"No, no, no" I replied, pulling her back to the doorway as she went to walk back down the drive "what are you doing here anyway?"

"It's about Matt…" she admitted

"What are you planning?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her

"I think you need to speak to him about you and Sash" she informed me "and he knows about us by the way"

"Do you think me talking to him is gonna help? And how?" I inquired

"It might help him work things out in his head" she replied "and because he saw us together whilst he was sat on the rocks, but he knows and understands we're keeping it quiet"

I smiled at her warmly… "Okay, I'll go and see him"

"Thank you" she proclaimed, wrapping her arms around my neck

"What do I get as a thank you?" I questioned, wrapping my arms around her waist

She smiled at me warmly and pressed her lips against mine, someone clearing their throat pulling us apart…

"Sorry" I admitted as Brax stood in the doorway

"Yeah, sorry" Denny mirrored as we moved to the side

"No problem" he replied, making his way into the house "so when did this happen then?"

"Yesterday" I informed him

"So it's too soon to invite you to a barbecue, is it?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow at Denny

I glanced at Denny and raised an eyebrow at her…

"If that's okay with you?" she asked

I nodded my head, signalling yes…

"Is that a yes then?" Brax inquired

"Yeah" I informed him

"Great" he replied, making his way out to the back yard

**So Casey's going to speak to Matt about his kiss with Sasha; how do you think that's going to go? And Denny's been invited to a Braxton barbecue, how do you think that's going to go? **


	15. Chapter 15

DENNY'S POV:

"I've just thought…" I admitted as Casey and I sat in his back yard a while later

"What?" he questioned

"I better ring Mum, let her know I'm staying for dinner" I replied "she might have something prepared already"

"Do you want to ask her if you can stay the night too?" he suggested "no pressure; it's just I'd like a drink"

"I am capable of walking myself home, Casey" I chuckled, pulling my phone from my pocket

"I know, but I'd also like you to stay if you want to too" he admitted, smiling at me warmly

"I'll ask" I informed him, pressing my lips against his softly as I made my way to the bottom of the garden

CASEY'S POV:

"What did she say?" I asked Denny as she walked back up the garden to me a few minutes later

"Yes to me staying for dinner, but no to me staying tonight" she informed me "she wants to get to know you better, so wants you to come over for dinner tomorrow night. Is that okay? I said I'd text and let her know"

I nodded my head, signalling yes, watching her as she sat back down in the seat she'd acquired and messaged her Mum before putting her phone into her pocket…

"Right" Ricky proclaimed as she walked into the back yard, two bottles of beer in hand "one for you, and one for you too, Denny"

"Thanks" we replied in unison

She smiled at us both and made her way back inside and I moved closer to Denny, resting my hand on her knee…

"Hi" she greeted me

"Hi" I mirrored, kissing her gently as she turned to me

"Are you sure it's okay for me to be here?" she questioned

"Brax invited you, so yes, it's fine" I assured her, stroking some hair from her face

DENNY'S POV:

"Ah, you're about to meet Heath" Casey informed me a little while later

Miss. Scott and a man I guessed was Heath made their way through the gate and flopped down onto one of the benches by Casey and me…

"Who's the bird, Case?" he questioned

"Heath" Bianca scolded "sorry about my husband, Denny"

"You know her?" he asked

"Yes" Bianca informed him "she's a student, in the same year as Casey"

"Nice to meet you, Denny" he greeted me, stretching out his hand for me to shake

"And you" I mirrored, shaking his hand

"Right, when's the grub up? I'm starving" he proclaimed, rubbing his hands together

"Brax is just about to fire up I think" Ricky replied as she made her way out into the back yard

"Are you enjoying school then, Denny?" Brax asked me as we all ate a little while later

"Yeah" I replied "the subjects are good and so are the teachers so it's all great"

"You're just saying that because Bianca's here, aren't you?" he questioned

I shook my head, signalling no, taking a sip of my drink…

"Correct answer" Bianca stated, smiling at me warmly "have you decided what you're doing when you finish yet?"

"I'd like to carry on studying I think" I admitted

"Whereabouts?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow at me

"There's a university in the city I like the look off" I replied "but it's all about getting the grades in my exams"

"I'm sure you will" she assured me "just stay focused and work hard"

CASEY'S POV:

"Thank you so much for having me" Denny proclaimed as we made our way to the back gate as night was falling on the Bay

"You're welcome" Brax replied "and you're more than welcome anytime you like"

"Thank you" she stated

"You ready to go?" I questioned

She nodded her head, signalling yes. Saying our goodbyes, we left the house and made our way back to hers…

DENNY'S POV:

"That was such a great night" I proclaimed as Casey and I walked along the beach hand-in-hand

"You've got them all under your spell. They all love you" he informed me

"So you think I've got the Braxton seal of approval then?" I questioned

"It was in the bag from the word go" he informed me, smiling at me warmly

"Well let's just hope the same goes for you tomorrow night with my Mum" I chuckled

"About that…" he began

"You're not cancelling, are you?" I inquired, stopping in my tracks

"No" he replied, chuckling softly "should I bring anything? Wine, dessert maybe?"

"Dessert might be the better option" I informed him "we're underage, remember? Which reminds me, can you smell alcohol on my breath?"

Casey laughed as I breathed on him... "No, you're good"

"I'm being serious, Casey" I sighed "I shouldn't have had that third beer"

"Is your Mum really that strict about alcohol?" he questioned

"No, but what sort of impression is it going to make if I come home from a barbecue at yours smelling of booze?" I inquired

"Okay" he replied "but no, honestly, you're fine"

Sighing with relief, I wound my arms around his neck… "Did you enjoy tonight?"

He nodded his head, signalling yes… "And before you say it, I've not forgotten about going to see Matt. I'll do it tomorrow morning"

"I think it'll help" I admitted "thank you"

"You're welcome" he replied, pressing his lips against mine

**So number one; how will Matt and Casey's conversation go, and two; how will the dinner with Denny's Mum go?**


	16. Chapter 16

DENNY'S POV:

"You look nice" Mum informed me as I walked out of my bedroom as she walked in the front door the following evening, her hands full of shopping bags ready to start preparing the meal for us and Casey

"Well I thought I'd make an effort, seeing as though this is quite a formal deal" I admitted

"It's not a formal deal. It's just me getting to know your boyfriend" she replied

"He's nervous, so go easy on him please, for me, okay?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her

"You make me sound like a monster, Denise" she sighed, shaking her head as she moved around the kitchen, the meal preparation beginning

CASEY'S POV:

"Very smart" Heath proclaimed as he and Bianca walked into the house as I finished getting organised for my dinner with Denny and her Mum

"He's got an interrogation dinner" Brax informed him

"It's not like that" I sighed "it's just dinner with Denny and her Mum"

"Meeting the parents" he chuckled, nudging me "getting serious, is it?"

"Shut up, Heath" I replied "and besides, I've already met her Mum. She just wants to get to know me better, that's all"

"Before my husband and brother-in-law say anything else idiotic, I'll wish you good luck" Bianca informed me

"Thank you" I stated, smiling at her warmly as she kissed my cheek and moved past me into the kitchen

DENNY'S POV:

I'd just finished setting the table per Mum's request when a knock at the front door sounded. Glancing at Mum as she looked up from the stove, she smiled at me warmly. Moving through to the hallway, I opened the door to greet Casey… "Hi"

"Hi, sorry I'm late. I was getting ripped by my brothers" he admitted

"It's only a couple of minutes, it's fine" I replied, leaning up to kiss him softly "come through"

"Hi, Casey" Mum greeted him as he sat down on the sofa and I organised him a drink

"Hi, Linda" he mirrored

"Glad your exams are over?" she inquired, turning to face him

"I've got one more left actually" he informed her

"And then what are you going to do when they're over?" she questioned

"I've applied to a couple of universities in the city; it just all depends on my grades" he replied as I moved back to him, handing him his drink

"And what would you like to study?" she asked, taking a sip of her wine

"Personal Training" he informed her "I want to continue working at the gym but as a personal trainer"

"Great career prospects in that" she replied "you could work in any gym in the state, so why would you want to stay in Summer Bay?"

"It's my home. All my family's here" he admitted "Denny too…"

I smiled at him warmly as he finished speaking and took a sip of my drink, glancing at Mum…

"You two continue chatting, dinner's almost ready" she informed us, moving back to the stove

CASEY'S POV:

"Did you really mean that?" Denny asked, moving to sit next to me

I nodded my head, signalling yes… "I wanna see where this goes and make it work"

"Me too" she mirrored, smiling at me warmly as she pressed her lips against mine

"Good" I replied as we pulled apart "what else do you think your Mum's going to ask me? Just so I can be prepared"

"I don't know, sorry" she admitted

DENNY'S POV:

"Casey, can I ask a rather personal question?" Mum asked a little while later as the three of us sat around the table

"You don't have to answer it if you don't want to" I informed him

"It's okay. Go ahead" he replied

"You live with your brothers, but where are your parents?" she asked

"Mum…" I proclaimed

"It's a reasonable question" she replied "I would like to know…"

"You think that's a reasonable question? It's none of our business" I informed her

"It's okay" Casey assured me, squeezing my hand that rested on the table "my Dad's not around, and my Mum's an ex gambler. I moved to Summer Bay with my brothers when I was 15"

I watched Mum as Casey spoke and saw she swallowed a lump in her throat…

"Right" she replied "and do you have any idea where your Dad is or…?"

"Mum!" I proclaimed

"No I don't" Casey informed her "I haven't seen him since I was 10"

I ran my thumb over his knuckle as he finished speaking, not being able to believe what I was hearing. Smiling at him warmly as he turned to me, I turned to Mum again… "Are you done with the invasion of personal privacy now?"

"It's fine, honestly" Casey replied

"There was no need to ask questions about your parents" I informed him "that was way out of line!"

"No it wasn't" he stated "your Mum's entitled to know what she likes and needs to about me seeing as though I'm dating her daughter. I understand"

"Are you sure?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at him

"Yeah" he assured me, smiling at me warmly

"Right, now that's cleared up, who's for dessert?" Mum inquired "it's chocolate cake from the diner"

Casey and I both nodded our heads in agreement, Mum beginning to clear the plates…

CASEY'S POV:

After saying goodbye to Linda an hour-and-a-half later, Denny and I made our way outside, her shutting the front door behind us as we made our way onto the porch, sitting down on the steps leading to the driveway…

"What are you thinking about?" I questioned

"How my Mum could've been so rude earlier" she admitted

"She wasn't rude; she has a right to know" I replied

"I understand that, but I'm sorry she asked" she informed me "having to think about your Mum must've brought a lot of painful memories up for you"

"I just wish she could've been a normal Mum" I admitted "I used to see kids in the playground with their Mums and Dads and think why I wasn't one of them, but Brax was brilliant. He was everything I needed and I can't thank him enough for everything he's done for me"

"Well it sounds as if you don't need her then" Denny replied "and you're sure you're okay?"

I nodded my head, signalling yes… "I love you for caring though"

DENNY'S POV:

"_I love you for caring though"_

"Casey…" I spoke as I realised what he'd said

"I didn't mean that" he admitted "it's just an expression"

"Well that's a shame" I informed him "because I was going to say I love you too"

He smiled at me warmly and cupped my cheek in his hand, pressing his lips against mine… "In that case, I do love you"

"I love you too" I mirrored, my smile widening as he pressed his lips against mine again

**Do you think Linda (Denny's Mum) was out of order for the questions she asked Casey?**


	17. Chapter 17

DENNY'S POV:

After saying goodbye I made my way back into the house and locked the front door behind me, moving into the kitchen to help my Mum finish off the dinner things that she'd started to wash. Saying goodnight to her half-an-hour or so later, I made my way into the bathroom to remove my make up and get sorted for bed, climbing in a few minutes later, sighing contentedly as I did so. Reaching for my phone off my beside table, I dialled Sasha's number, promising that I'd fill her in on the meal…

"I was just about to give up on you…" she admitted

"Sorry" I replied "so, what do you want to know first?"

"How it went, obviously" she chuckled

"There were a couple of hiccups, but all in all it was a good evening" I informed her

"Hiccups?" she inquired "what's the gossip?"

"Mum" I sighed "she started asking questions about why Casey didn't live with his Mum and Dad"

"Awkward" she proclaimed

"Tell me about it" I replied "I was so embarrassed. He shouldn't have to answer questions like that, should he?"

"How did he cope with it?" she questioned

"He was fine, surprisingly" I admitted "he answered her questions and told me it was okay"

"Good" she replied "so, what else happened?"

"Casey told me he loved me…" I informed her

"He what?! No way" she proclaimed

"Ouch, burst eardrum there, Sash" I admitted, chuckling

"Sorry, but really?" she asked "that is huge news! Did you say it back? Please tell me you said it back?"

"I said it back" I informed her, laughing and pulling the phone away from my ear as she began to squeal loudly "you're happy then, I take it?"

"So happy" she admitted "and it's all thanks to my matchmaking"

"Excuse me?" I inquired

"If I hadn't suggested Casey invited you to prom, you wouldn't be together now" she replied

"And how do you know that?" I questioned

"You'd be denying your feelings and in the end I'd have to bang your heads together" she stated

"You don't think we'd get our acts together eventually?" I inquired

"Maybe, with a little push from me, but most definitely not on your own" she replied

"Well, in that case…" I began

"In that case what?" she questioned

"You'll find out eventually" I informed her "I'm gonna head to bed, see you tomorrow, bye"

Hanging up the phone before she could protest, I switched my phone to silent and locked my keypad and switched my bedside table light off, snuggling down, quickly falling into a deep sleep…

CASEY'S POV:

I knocked on Leah's door the next morning, swallowing a lump in my throat as Matt opened the door a couple of minutes later… "Hi"

"Hi" he mirrored

"Can I come in?" I questioned

Stepping aside, he motioned for me to enter. Stepping inside, I waited as he shut the door behind me and walked into the living room…

"What you playing?" I asked as he made his way back to the Xbox

"FIFA" he informed me "fancy a game so I can beat the crap out of you?"

"We're talking metaphorically, right?" I inquired

He looked at me and nodded his head, signalling yes… "We're cool"

"We are?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him as I sat down next to him

"I was an idiot, I should've never brought the alcohol" he sighed

"Why did you then?" I inquired as he handed me a controller

He shrugged his shoulders… "I thought it'd be fun"

"Sash didn't see it that way" I replied

"Yeah, I got that" he admitted, smiling at me falsely

"Sorry, but maybe you should go and sort things out with her?" I suggested

"I wasn't the one who kissed someone else…" he replied

"She only did it because she was pissed at you. There was nothing in it whatsoever" I assured him

"I know that, but she hasn't apologised" he informed me

"And have you apologised to her for being an idiot?" I questioned

DENNY'S POV:

I made my way into the diner to find Casey sat at the counter. Moving over to him, I leant against it and nudged his shoulder…

"Hi" he greeted me

"Hi, what're you doing here?" I questioned

He motioned over to a table and I saw Matt and Sasha sat talking…

"Wait a minute, how did that happen?" I inquired

"Just call me brilliant" he admitted

"I may do when you explain what you've done" I informed him

"I knocked some sense into Matt is what I did" he explained "he realised that as well as Sasha apologising to him, he needed to apologise to her too"

"Well there goes my brilliant idea" I sighed

"You had an idea?" he inquired

"Yeah, I was gonna recreate prom for them" I admitted

"You can still do that, then you and I could have the night all over again, but without what happened on the actual night happening again" he replied

"And we'd actually get to kiss before we got interrupted" I informed him

He nodded his head, signalling yes… "So you're gonna do it?"

"Yeah" I replied, smiling at him warmly. Licking my suddenly dry lips, I was shocked as he cupped my cheek and pressed his lips against mine

"Sorry…" he whispered as he rested his forehead against mine

"It's fine" I assured him, pressing my lips against his again

"Okay, enough with the PDA's please. This is a family place" Sasha proclaimed

I chuckled and pulled away from Casey, moving to rest against him, my back against his front, his arms wrapping around my waist from behind, my hands covering his… "So?"

"We're good" she informed me, Matt's arm wrapping around her waist

I smiled at them both warmly as I ran my fingers across Casey's knuckle… "Well that's good, because I've had an idea, how about we recreate prom?"

"That's a brilliant idea" Sasha replied, smiling at me warmly

"So you two would be up for it?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow at them

"If it meant us all getting the night we deserve then yeah" she admitted

"Great, then it's on" I informed them

**What do you guys think about Denny's idea to recreate prom? And do you agree it's about time Casey and Denny were out in the open too?**


	18. Chapter 18

DENNY'S POV:

"Right, it's sorted" I informed Casey as I sat down next to him on the sofa in the Braxton living room as I finished on the phone

"What is?" he questioned

"The location for the recreation of prom" I replied

"Okay, where?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me

"One of the barns up at the farm" I informed him "Mum and me are going to work on it over the weekend so that by Friday it'll all be ready and set up"

He smiled at me warmly and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me into him…

CASEY'S POV:

Denny and I were relaxing watching a film when the front door opened, Brax, Ricky, Heath and Bianca all walking in. Sighing, I reached for the remote and stopped the film…

"We didn't mean to interrupt, Case" Ricky admitted

"It's okay" I assured her "we're gonna go to my room"

"Use protection" Heath chuckled as I stood up and held my hand out to Denny

"Heath!" Ricky and Bianca proclaimed

"Joke, joke" he replied, holding his hands up in defence

Shaking my head at him, I smiled apologetically at Denny and led her through to my bedroom…

DENNY'S POV:

"Sorry about him" Casey sighed as I shut his bedroom door behind us and he moved to his CD player to put some music on

"No worries" I replied "I've got used to his idiocies"

"Already?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow at me as he turned back to me

"Pretty much" I informed him, patting the space on his bed next to me

Moving across the room to me, he sat down next to me…

"I want to" I admitted

"Want to what?" he questioned

"Casey" I sighed "don't make me say it…"

"Oh. You do?" he asked

I nodded my head, signalling yes… "I'm nervous though"

"I'm happy to do whatever you want to do" he informed me

I smiled at him warmly… "Well as much as I want to, I don't want to when I know your brothers and their respective partners are just outside"

"So we wait till the time is right then, agreed?" he inquired

"Agreed" I mirrored, kissing him softly "thank you"

"For?" he questioned

"For not pressuring me" I admitted

"I'd never pressure you" he informed me "you mean so much to me, Denny, I'm not going to do anything to screw this up"

"That's good to know" I replied

"Shall we go to the beach or something then?" he suggested

"As long as you promise me I don't have to get on a surfboard?" I inquired

"You have my word" he informed me

Kissing him softly, I stood up and held my hand out to him… "Let's go then"

**Do you think it's too soon for Casey and Denny to be talking about "that" or not? I wonder what's to come…**


	19. Chapter 19

DENNY'S POV:

Mum and I had spent the past week revamping one of the barns so that prom could be recreated, and today was the day I was showing Casey. Walking from the house to the barn, I covered his eyes with my hands, leading him across the field…

"Are we almost there yet?" he asked as we continued to walk

"Yep" I informed him

Stopping a few moments later, I moved to the side of him… "Open"

CASEY'S POV:

I opened my eyes and couldn't believe what I was seeing. Denny and her Mum had transformed the barn into a beautiful space. Lanterns were hanging from the ceiling and two tables had been set out, one for her and I, and one for Matt and Sasha…

"So, what do you think?" she questioned nervously

Turning to her, I smiled at her warmly as she bit her bottom lip… "It's amazing"

"Yeah? You think?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow at me

I nodded my head, signalling yes… "Bring on Friday night"

"I was thinking about that actually" she admitted

"What about it?" I asked

"Mum's going away that morning, so maybe you could stay over?" she suggested

"I'd love to" I informed her "but you do know nothing has to happen if you don't want it to, don't you?"

She nodded her head, signalling yes… "But that's why I suggested it. It'd be the perfect time"

I smiled at her warmly and cupped her cheek in my hand, pulling her closer to me, pressing her lips against mine…

DENNY'S POV:

"What did Casey think to the barn then?" Mum asked that evening as we prepared dinner

"He loved it" I informed her "thanks for all your help, Mum, I appreciate it"

"It was my way of apologising to you for my behaviour at the dinner" she admitted

"That's in the past now" I assured her, smiling at her warmly

"I know, but I felt terrible for the questions I asked Casey about his Mum and Dad, especially when I knew you were upset with me too" she informed me "so I wanted to do something to make it up to you both, which is why I'm allowing him to stay here on Friday night with you if he wants to"

"Thank you" I replied

"And Denise, I know you're a sensible and mature young lady, but if you do anything, please use protection, okay?" she questioned

"Mum, please…" I begged

"Denise, promise me" she replied "an unplanned pregnancy is the last thing we need, especially when you're going to university in a matter of months"

"I promise" I assured her "now can we stop talking about this? Having "the talk" at 14 was bad enough"

"Okay" she chuckled "conversation closed"

"Thank you" I replied, sighing with relief

**Naughty Denny for inviting Casey over without her Mum's consent, but she's given her it anyway. How do you guys think Friday night will go?**


	20. Chapter 20

DENNY'S POV:

Friday night quickly came around and I slipped back into my prom dress, smiling as I caught my appearance in my full-length mirror. Moving over to my dresser, I slipped the corsage Casey had brought me that night back onto my wrist and prayed tonight would go to plan…

CASEY'S POV:

I was about to knock on Denny's door when it opened, her appearing from inside. Smiling at her as she moved the screen, she stepped outside onto the porch and shut the door behind her…

"You look… Wow" I sighed

"That's what you said on actual prom night" she replied, chuckling softly

"Well how about I do something unconventional and do something I didn't do but wanted to that night?" I suggested, raising an eyebrow at her

"It depends what it is" she admitted

"I think you'll like it" I informed her

Moving closer to her, I heard her sigh as my lips pressed against hers in the briefest of kisses, our moment being interrupted as we heard footsteps approach. Sasha and Matt…

"Sorry, we didn't mean to interrupt" she admitted

"No problem" Denny replied as we pulled apart "you guys ready?"

They nodded their heads and she entwined her hand with mine, leading me down the steps and the four of us across the field to the barn…

DENNY'S POV:

"Denny, this is amazing! It must've taken you and your Mum forever" Sasha proclaimed

"Not too long really. Only a week" I replied

"Wow" she sighed "well you've done an amazing job"

"Thank you" I stated, smiling at her warmly "right, music. Any requests?"

She shook her head, signalling no and I made my way over to the stereo in the corner, smiling as one of my favourite songs "You Found Me" by The Fray came on…

"Can I have this dance?" I heard Casey's voice ask

"Of course" I replied, turning to face him, taking his hand willingly as he led me to the dancefloor

CASEY'S POV:

Denny and I said goodnight to Sasha and Matt at her front door as their taxi arrived to pick them up at 11:30pm. Making our way into her house, I kicked my shoes off and removed my suit jacket from her shoulders…

"That was so much fun" she sighed as she kicked off her shoes too

"It really was" I replied, smiling at her warmly as she turned to me

"I'm just gonna go and get changed. Do you want to wait in my room?" she inquired

I nodded my head, signalling yes. Reciprocating my smile, she made her way down the hallway to the bathroom as I made my way into her bedroom…

DENNY'S POV:

I stripped my body of my prom dress and hung it up with a hanger on the back of the bathroom door and slipped my dressing gown onto my body, checking my appearance one final time. It wasn't my first time, but my first time hadn't been the best experience and even though I knew Casey wouldn't do anything I wasn't comfortable with, I still couldn't help but feel apprehensive. Tying the ties of my dressing gown around me to hide the underwear I'd picked out especially for the occasion, I made my way out of the bathroom and down the hallway to my bedroom…

CASEY'S POV:

Denny appeared in the doorway and I looked up from where I'd been sitting on the end of her bed. Smiling at her warmly, she stepped inside and shut the door behind her. Standing up, I walked across to her as she stopped walking when she was mere inches from me…

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" I questioned

She nodded her head, signalling yes… "But I need to tell you something first"

"What is it?" I inquired

"I've been letting you think this is my first time and it's not" she admitted "but my first time didn't go so well, in fact, it was horrible"

"Denny, we don't have to…" I began to speak, a smile appearing on my face as she pressed her finger against my lips

"I want to" she assured me "because I know you won't push me or do anything I'm uncomfortable with"

I nodded my head in agreement to her words, watching as she removed her finger from my lips and moved her hands to her dressing gown, my mouth running dry as she let it fall from her shoulders…

DENNY'S POV:

I couldn't help but smile as I judged Casey's reaction, realising he liked what he saw. Moving closer to him so I invaded his personal space, I leant up on my tiptoes and pressed my lips against his softly, gasping against his mouth as he wound his arms around my waist and pulled me flush against him. As our lips moved against each other's, I felt us moving and then my body being laid gently down onto my bed…

CASEY'S POV:

I hovered above Denny, both of us just watching each other as we took our time to prepare for what was about to happen. I wasn't going to push her, not after what she'd told me. Smiling at her as her hand reached up and began to run through my hair, she finally spoke…

"I'm ready" she informed me

"Do you have…?" I questioned

She nodded her head, signalling yes and leant up, pressing her lips against mine softly. Turning away from me for a second, she reached into her top drawer and pulled out a foil square...

DENNY'S POV:

My back arched as Casey's fingers brushed my opening and my eyes shut involuntarily. Feeling his lips press against the skin of my neck, my eyes opened and I slid my hands up his arms, letting them lay on his back as he guided himself into me slowly…

"Mm" I moaned softly

"You okay?" he questioned

"Perfect" I replied, my fingers digging into the skin of his back as he pressed against a particularly sensitive spot inside of me

Lifting my legs around his waist, his hands held onto my hips as he began to move in and out of me, the pleasure and intensity building by the second. Gasping breathlessly, I felt my stomach begin to knot and explode as my orgasm ran through me, my hips moving against his as I rode out my high…

CASEY'S POV:

Watching Denny come undone beneath me was the undoing of me and I came only a few seconds after she did as she calmed. Resting my body against hers, I began to press my lips to the skin of her neck and collarbone as she ran her hand through my hair…

"That was…" I began

"Perfect" she informed me "thank you"

"You're welcome" I replied, lifting my head so our eyes could meet, pressing my lips against hers gently

**Lovely chapter if I do say so myself. What did you guys think?**


	21. Chapter 21

DENNY'S POV:

I awoke first the next morning, squinting as my eyes adjusted to the morning sunlight streaming in through the cracks in the blinds that hung against my window. Turning to face Casey as I lay in his embrace, I watched him sleep, bringing my hand up, letting my fingertips run gently over his face and down to his neck…

"That tickles" he whispered

"Sorry" I replied, smiling as he opened his eyes, them immediately finding mine

"Don't worry. It was a nice wake up call" he admitted

My smile widened as he leant up and softly pressed his lips to mine, our foreheads resting against each others as we pulled apart…

"Before you ask, I enjoyed last night and don't regret it one little bit" I informed him

"How did you know I was going to ask?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow at me

"Women's intuition" I replied, smirking at him as he moved and sat up, resting his head against my headboard, my eyes drifting down to his bare chest

"You okay there?" he asked, breaking me from my trance

"Absolutely fantastic" I informed him "breakfast?"

He nodded his head, signalling yes and I could feel his eyes on me as I climbed out of bed and pulled a pair of pyjama bottoms from my drawer and slipped a vest onto my body too, smiling at him before I left the room…

CASEY'S POV:

I walked through to the kitchen a few minutes after Denny had left her bedroom, finding her humming along to the radio…

"So, what are our plans for today?" I questioned, smirking as I saw her jump

"I don't have any plans with you" she admitted "however, I do have plans with Sash"

"But what about poor old me?" I asked as I walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her waist

"I think you can cope without me for one day, can't you?" she inquired

"I'm going to have to, aren't I?" I asked

She nodded her head, signalling yes, her face moving closer to mine, both of us sighing and pulling apart as my phone began to ring in my suit jacket pocket…

"Hold that thought" I proclaimed, hurrying into the hallway "hello? Yeah, I'll be there in an hour. Okay, bye"

"Work?" she questioned

"Yep" I replied as I walked back into the kitchen "do you mind if I use the shower?"

She shook her head, signalling no… "Just make sure you leave the bathroom clean when you're done"

"Promise" he assured me, kissing my forehead before disappearing from the room

DENNY'S POV:

Casey had brought me to the Bay so I could see Sasha and after we'd said our goodbyes and he'd hurried off home to get organised for work, I made my way into the diner to find Sasha as she finished serving a customer…

"Give me two minutes and then I'm on a break and all yours" she informed me

Smiling at her warmly, I made my way to a vacant table in the corner, Sasha sitting down next to me less than a minute later, setting a drink down in front of me…

"Thank you" I stated

"You're welcome. Now, tell me everything" she proclaimed

"It was perfect, Sash" I sighed contentedly as I recalled the night previous

"He treated you right, didn't he?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow at me

"Of course he did" I replied "it was amazing, Sash, I still can't get over it"

"You've got that morning after glow" she admitted, smirking at me

"I have?! So you can tell I've, y'know?" I inquired

"Don't worry about it" she replied "so it was all as you wanted it to be, yeah?"

I nodded my head, signalling yes as I took a sip of my drink…

CASEY'S POV:

"Hey, handsome" Denny's voice greeted me as I helped to train a client

"Give me two seconds" I informed the client, moving across the gym to Denny "hi"

"Hi" she mirrored "what time do you knock off?"

"In about an hour-and-a-half" I informed her "how come?"

"Well, I was thinking, maybe we could go back to yours?" she suggested "pizza, gelato and a DVD, what do you say?"

"Yes" I replied "I'll text you when I'm finished?"

She nodded her head, signalling yes, leaning up on her tiptoes and pressing her lips against mine… "I'll see you soon"

**So things are going from strength to strength for Casey and Denny. How about some drama soon?**


	22. Chapter 22

**Let's have a time jump to results day, shall we? How will Denny and Casey do in their exams?**

DENNY'S POV:

"Denny, are you almost ready to go, love?" Mum questioned as I sat in my bedroom

"Almost" I replied

Standing up from where I sat on the edge of my bed, I looked into my full-length mirror and inhaled and exhaled my breath, grabbing my handbag before leaving my room…

"Nervous?" she inquired

I nodded my head, signalling yes, licking my suddenly dry lips…

"You'll have done fantastically, trust me" she replied, smiling at me warmly

"It's not just me I'm worried about" I admitted

"Casey?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at me

"Yeah" I sighed "getting onto this personal training course means everything to him. If he doesn't get the grades he needs, it'll break him"

"Has he put in the study he needed to?" she inquired

I nodded my head, signalling yes… "Every single night"

"Then he shouldn't have a thing to worry about" she replied "and if he doesn't get in, there's always other stuff he can do. Everything will work out just fine, trust me"

CASEY'S POV:

I arrived at school with Sasha and Matt just as Denny's Mum pulled into a parking space. Informing them I'd meet them inside, I walked over to Denny's car as she climbed out, smiling at her warmly as she shut her door behind her…

"Hey" she greeted me as she walked over to me

"Hi" I mirrored, kissing her softly as she reached me "nervous?"

"Terrified" she admitted "you?"

"Same" I replied

Smiling at me sympathetically, she entwined her hand with mine and we made our way into the school building…

DENNY'S POV:

Casey and I had joined Sasha and Matt in the hall where we'd been informed to wait for our results. By the time I'd got mine and made my way back through the crowd to find Casey, he'd disappeared…

"Where's Casey?" I asked as Sasha and Matt moved through the crowd to join me

They shrugged their shoulders and I sighed heavily… "How did you two do?"

"I passed everything" Sasha informed me "what about you?"

"I did too" I replied "Matt, what about you?"

"ICT is calling my name" he informed me

"Congratulations" I proclaimed, smiling at him warmly "do you guys mind if I go? I need to find Casey"

I made my way out of the school and to Mum's car, handing her my results, a squeal escaping her lips as she read the paper in front of her…

"This calls for a celebration" she proclaimed "I'm so proud of you, darling"

"Do you mind if we rain check? Casey's disappeared and I don't know where to" I admitted

"I saw him leaving about ten minutes ago. I called after him but he was in a world of his own" she informed me "is he okay?"

"I don't know" I replied

"Go and find him" she stated, smiling at me warmly "and I'll see you back at the house later"

Thanking her, I hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek, climbing out of the car and making my way across the car park in search of Casey. Where could he have gone?

**Where has Casey gone? And what are his results like? Find out next time…**


	23. Chapter 23

DENNY'S POV:

After trying everywhere I could think of in the Bay, I decided to make my way to the Braxton house to see if Casey had headed home, finding Brax working on his Ute outside in the driveway…

"Brax…" I spoke, informing him of my presence

"Hi" he greeted me, moving his head from under the bonnet, wiping his hands on some old rag "what's wrong? You look worried"

"Casey's disappeared" I informed him

"How do you mean disappeared?" he questioned

"We went to school to get our results and when I made my way back to him, he was gone" I explained "and I've looked everywhere I can think of and nothing"

"Casey hasn't told you he has a secret hiding place, has he?" he inquired

I shook my head, signalling no. Smirking, he cleared away his tools and shut the hood on his Ute…

"Follow me" he replied

After walking the five minutes back to the beach, Brax led me to a secluded part of the beach I didn't even know existed…

"He'll be in there" he informed me, motioning to a cove

"Thanks" I stated, smiling at him warmly

"No problem" he replied

CASEY'S POV:

I looked up as I heard footsteps enter the cove and saw Denny, a weak smile appearing on my face… "Hey"

"Hey? Is that all I get?" she questioned "you've had me worried sick!"

"I needed some time on my own" I admitted

"Why?" she inquired

I handed her my exam results and watched as her facial expression changed…

"It's not as if you've failed everything, Case" she informed me

"But I've failed one of the exams I need to get into the personal training course, you know that" I sighed

"It's one exam, Casey" she replied "that you can retake"

"I've not just failed that exam though. I'm going to have to re-sit year 12, which means, whilst you're off living life at university, I'm gonna be stuck in a classroom learning stuff I already know" I informed her

"Just think of all the praise you're gonna get for dating a university chick" she chuckled

"You may as well just end things now" I sighed

"No way!" she proclaimed "I love you, Casey. You're smart…"

"My exam results say different" I informed her

"Can you shut up and let me finish speaking?" she questioned

I smiled at her apologetically…

"Thank you" she replied "anyway, as I was saying; you're smart, you're funny, you're charming, you're kind and most of all, you're pretty hot. I'm not going to dump you just because we're not going to be going to university at the same time"

"You're not?" I inquired

"I can't believe you'd even think I would" she admitted

"Call it a crisis of confidence?" I suggested, raising an eyebrow at her

"You're lucky I love you" she informed me, moving closer to me, pressing her lips against mine

"I am" I replied "anyway, how did you find out about this place?"

"Brax; he brought me here" she admitted "but can we go now please? It's kinda freaky in here…"

I chuckled and nodded my head, signalling yes, taking her outstretched hand willingly…

**So Casey's not got the grades he needs to get into university, bless him. How will their relationship work with Denny at university and Casey re-sitting year 12?**


	24. Chapter 24

DENNY'S POV:

Today was the day I was leaving for university and I couldn't believe how quickly it had come around. As I finished packing up my bedroom, a knock at the front door sounded and I made my way into the hallway, seeing Casey stood in front of the screen on the porch…

"Hi" I greeted him "I thought we weren't seeing each other till later?"

"We're not meant to be, but I was wondering if you had time for a walk?" he questioned

I nodded my head, signalling yes, smiling warmly as he held his hand out for me to take which I did willingly, informing Mum that I'd be back soon and followed him out of the house…

"Where are we going?" I asked Casey as I followed him across the field

"Right here" he informed me "do you remember what happened here?"

"It's where we shared our first kiss, but why are we here again?" I inquired

"So I can give you this" he admitted, handing me a box

Looking from the box to him, I raised an eyebrow in confusion…

"Open it" he chuckled

Doing as he said, I opened it and smiled warmly, being greeted by a heart shaped necklace…

"This was the one I was looking at when we went into the city" I proclaimed

He nodded his head, signalling yes… "It's a little something to remember me by"

"Remember you by?" I questioned "Case, I'm not going to forget you"

"Okay, call it a good luck and an I'm proud of you present then" he replied

"I like that better" I admitted, taking the necklace from the box, handing it to him and turning away from him, letting him fasten it around my neck "thank you"

"You're welcome" he stated "I can't believe today has come around so quickly"

"Don't" I begged, biting my bottom lip as the tears flooded my eyes

"Sorry" he replied

"We're going to see each other this weekend. It's not long to wait" I informed him

He nodded his head in agreement and cupped my cheeks in his hands, pressing his lips against mine, a sigh escaping my lips as we pulled apart…

"I better be getting back" I admitted "walk me?"

Entwining his hand with mine, we made our way back to the house…

DENNY'S NECKLACE:

. /shop-online/shop-by-category/category-jewellery/category-necklaces/

**A short chapter but it's all change for Denny as she leaves Summer Bay to head to university without Casey. How will it go? Who will she meet? And will hers and Casey's relationship still be the same?**


	25. Chapter 25

DENNY'S POV:

I walked Mum back to her car after she'd helped me unpack the bulk of my things, the removalists that we'd hired having left an hour previous. Turning to face me as we reached the car, she pulled me into a tight hug…

"Okay, Mum, you're cutting off circulation now" I informed her

"Sorry" she replied "right, promise me, anything you need, anything at all, you ring me, day or night and I'll be here as quickly as I can"

"Mum, I'll be fine" I assured her, smiling at her warmly "and I'm a big girl now. I have to stand on my own two feet, but can you promise me something?"

"What is it, love?" she questioned

"Can you keep an eye on Casey for me as much as you can?" I inquired

"Do you think something might happen there or…?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at me

"No, no, no" I replied "I just know how easily he gets stressed and I don't want him doing anything stupid if he does. I know he's got his family but he might also need a friendly ear. Could that be you?"

She nodded her head, signalling yes… "I'll invite him over for dinner one night"

"Thank you" I stated, smiling at her warmly "okay, one more hug and then you need to go!"

I exhaled a breath I didn't know I'd been holding as Mum reversed out of her parking space and drove off, beeping her horn as she went. Looking around, I turned and made my way back to my room, finding an unfamiliar face stood outside as I arrived…

"Are you Denny?" the girl I was guessing was about my age asked

"Yes. And you are?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at her

"Sophie, I'm your roommate" she informed me, holding out her hand to me

"Nice to meet you" I greeted her, shaking her outstretched hand "how come you're so late?"

"Delayed flight, I'm here from Adelaide" she replied

"Well if it's any consolation, I haven't long been here from New Zealand" I informed her as I unlocked our dorm room door and let her inside first

"So you've been in the same boat as me? Great" she proclaimed, smiling at me warmly as she moved her bags onto the bed that rested against the other wall "it isn't just me that thinks this is weird, is it?"

I shook my head, signalling no… "How about we leave the unpacking till later and go and get drink?"

"I'd like that" she admitted

CASEY'S POV:

"_Roommate's a hoot. Hope you're okay. Speak to you later. Love you x"_

"Denny?" Ricky asked, breaking me from my trance as I stared at my phone

"Yeah" I replied "she's out having drinks with her roommate"

"Good that she's getting to know people, isn't it?" she questioned

I nodded my head, signalling yes… "We were meant to be Skyping tonight, that's all"

"Can you not wait one day?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow at me

"Would you if it was Brax?" I questioned

"Okay, fair point" she replied "but Casey, Denny's in a new place, you just need to give her time to find her feet and get herself settled. You know she loves you, just give her time"

"Thanks, Ric" I stated, smiling at her warmly

**Denny's settling in at university and Casey's already missing her and worrying about the fact that they're not communicating when they should be. Is this set to continue, I wonder?**


	26. Chapter 26

DENNY'S POV:

I'd been at university for just over a month now and was still on cloud nine from the weekend previous with Casey. Seeing his face as he climbed out of Brax's Ute that he'd borrowed for the weekend had made me realise just how much I'd missed him, and our reunion had been like something out of a film as I hurried over to him, jumped into his arms and buried my head into the crook of his neck.

After finishing my lectures for the day I made my way back to my dorm room, stopping in my tracks as I walked into the room to find someone looking through my bedside table drawer. Slamming the door shut behind me, they jumped and turned to face me…

"You must be Denny…" the unfamiliar male greeted me, holding out his hand for me to shake

"Who I am doesn't matter. Who you are and why you're in here rooting through my stuff does though" I informed him, raising an eyebrow at him

"I'm Chris, Sophie's boyfriend. Surely she's mentioned me?" he questioned

"Nope, not heard a thing about you" I replied "why are you in here when she's at lectures?"

"She told me to wait for her in here and gave me her key" he explained "and told me to make myself at home"

"Making yourself at home means rifling through a stranger's belongings?" I inquired

"I'm sorry, I'm just nosy" he admitted

"Well I'd like you to leave" I informed him

"What about Sophie?" he inquired

"I'll explain the situation to her" I replied "but I've got stuff to be doing so if you don't mind…"

"Okay" he stated "and sorry again, by the way"

Nodding my head, I watched as he made his way out of the room and shut the door behind him, shaking my head as I shut my bedside table drawer and pulled my laptop from on top of it, beginning to start one of my assignments…

"Where's Chris?" Sophie asked as she walked into the room an hour later

"Probably in his dorm room" I replied

"Why isn't he in here?" she questioned

"Because I asked him to leave when I caught him going through my personal things" I informed her

"Denny, I'm sorry" she sighed

"It's not your fault" I replied, smiling at her warmly "but a heads up that you were seeing someone would've been nice"

"Sorry, I've been meaning to tell you but we've not been together long so it just slipped my mind" she admitted "I really am sorry about him going through your things"

"It's fine" I assured her "just tell him not to do it again or I won't be so friendly about it next time"

"Deal" she replied "we're heading into the city for drinks soon, do you fancy it?"

"No thanks. I'm gonna finish this assignment, order takeout and Skype Casey" I informed her

"Okay, have fun" she proclaimed as she headed out the door once again

CASEY'S POV:

The Skype jingle sounded and I made my way to my laptop, sitting down at the kitchen table, pressing accept as I waited for Denny's face to appear on-screen… "Hi"

"Hi" she mirrored as her face finally appeared "I miss you"

"I miss you too" I informed her "how are things?"

"Apart from finding Sophie's boyfriend going through my bedside table drawer earlier they're good" she replied

"What?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at her

"Long story which I'll bore you with another time. How're things back home?" she asked

"Good" I replied "your Mum and I had dinner together last night"

"She didn't interrogate you this time around, did she?" she questioned

"Nope, we chatted about you and how much we miss you actually" I admitted

She smiled at me warmly… "How're you? How's school going?"

"I'm good. School's school" I replied "are your lectures getting any easier?"

She shook her head, signalling no… "One of the perks of uni though"

"Case…" Brax's voice called as I was about to reply

"In here" I informed him as he and Ricky walked into the kitchen "say hi to Denny"

"Hi" they mirrored in unison, Denny doing the same

"I better be going" I admitted "they've brought dinner. I'll speak to you later?"

"Looking forward to it" she informed me "love you"

"Love you too" I mirrored, both of us ending the call

I shut my laptop and set it on the side, turning to Brax and Ricky, finding them watching me…

"What?" I questioned

"It's nice seeing you so happy, right, Brax?" Ricky inquired

Brax nodded his head, signalling yes… "She's the best thing that's happened to you in a while"

I smiled at them warmly as Ricky handed me my plate of food… "Thanks"

"You're welcome" she replied as I sat down at the table once again

**And so we meet Chris… Will any drama occur now that a guy is on the scene?**


	27. Chapter 27

**Time jump in this chapter, just so you know, folks. We're about 3 months in…**

DENNY'S POV:

As I was making my way back to my dorm I heard someone shouting my name. Turning to see who it was, I sighed as I saw Chris running towards me…

"Hi" he greeted me as he reached me, trying to regain his breath "man, you walk fast!"

"I've got a lot to do before I go home for the weekend so yeah, can you get to it?" I asked

"Forward, I like it" he replied "but you can't go home"

"Why can't I?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow at him

"Because you're going to miss the party of the century in my dorm tonight" he informed me

"Let me think; a party or a weekend with my family and my boyfriend. Tough call" I sighed

"I know, but you're picking the party, right?" he questioned

"Bye, Chris" I replied, beginning to walk off again

"Denny, wait" he proclaimed

"What?!" I inquired, raising an eyebrow at him as he stopped in front of me

"Can you not just stop in for 5 minutes, 10 at the most?" he asked

"What time does it start?" I questioned

"Half 6" he informed me "can I take that as a yes?"

I nodded my head, signalling yes, sighing heavily as he hurried off in the direction he'd came from…

CASEY'S POV:

My phone rang as I was watching TV that evening, waiting for Denny to call to tell me she was at the bus station waiting to be picked up. Glancing at my phone, I saw her caller ID on-screen… "Hi, I'm just leaving now"

"I'm running late" she informed me

"Oh, how come?" I questioned

"Assignment deadline I completely forgot about" she admitted "I'll be on the 7:30pm bus though, so should be back at 9pm. Are you okay to come and get me then?"

As I was about to reply I heard her roommate Sophie say "come on Denny, it's party time!"… "Denny, are you really doing an assignment or are you going to a party?"

"Casey, I can explain" she informed me

"Save it. I'll see you at 9pm, if you can be bothered, that is" I sighed, hanging up the phone

DENNY'S POV:

"Thank you very much" I proclaimed, turning around to face Sophie

"What did I do?" she questioned

"You may have just ruined my relationship" I informed her, standing up and moving over to my bed

"You're still coming to the party, right?" she inquired

"What do you think?!" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her

CASEY'S POV:

Setting the 2nd empty beer bottle on the coffee table, the front door opened and Brax made his way inside, shutting it behind him, throwing his keys onto the table…

"Rough day?" he asked

"You could say that" I replied, reaching for beer number 3 from the pack "want one?"

"No thanks" he stated "what's going on?"

"What's going on? Hmm, my girlfriend's lying to me about finishing an assignment when she's actually going to a party and because I'm worrying about the state of our relationship my head's messed up and I can't concentrate at school. Maybe I should just jack it in altogether…" I sighed

"What sort of example would that set for your niece or nephew?" he inquired

"What are you talking about?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at him

"Ricky's pregnant, but we're keeping it quiet until she's past the 3-month stage" he informed me "so keep that shut, okay?"

I nodded my head, signalling yes... "Congratulations"

He smiled at me warmly… "So what's going on then? Talk to me…"

"You know how Denny's meant to be coming home for the weekend, yeah? Well she rang not too long before you came in to say she was running late as she had to finish an assignment and I heard her roommate say they were going to be late for the party" I explained "so if she's lying to me about that, who knows what else she's lying about"

"Case, cut her some slack" Brax replied "she's going through her first year at uni, if she can't go to a party and have a couple of drinks before coming home to see you when can she?"

"It's not about the fact she's going. I don't mind that, it's the fact that she lied to me about it. If she'd just been honest and said she was going and she'd be getting a later bus back I wouldn't have minded so much" I admitted "but she lied to me about it"

"Maybe she didn't wanna upset you?" he suggested you "she knows this weekend is special to you and she didn't wanna make it seem as though she didn't care"

"Maybe" I sighed, running my hands over my face "God, my head is such a mess!"

"I take it school's not going too well?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me

"Understatement of the century" I replied "I'm so tempted to just throw in the towel, be a failure like Mum said I'd be"

"Now you listen to me, do not give her the satisfaction of being right" he proclaimed "you're smart, I know it, Denny knows it and you know it, so get your stuff sorted with her and then get your head down and nail your exams, get yourself onto that personal training course and prove her wrong. Make something of yourself, just like me and Heath have. We've proven her wrong, you can do it too, I believe in you"

"Thank you" I stated, smiling at him warmly

"We all need a kick up the backside every now and then" he chuckled

DENNY'S POV:

I arrived at the bus station just before 9pm that night. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I dialled Casey's number, sighing heavily as there was no answer. As I scrolled through my contacts to ring Mum, his caller ID appeared on-screen… "Hello?"

"Denny, it's me, Brax" he informed me "I take it you're back?"

"Yeah I am" I replied "where's Casey?"

"Asleep. He had a couple of drinks" he admitted "do you want me to come and get you?"

"You don't have to. I can ring Mum and get her to come get me" I informed him "thank you though"

"We don't wanna drag her all that way out now, do we? I'll come and get you and we can have a little chat…" he replied

"Brax, I feel terrible for lying to Casey…" I admitted

"I know you do" he assured me "I'll see you in 15 minutes or so"

"Okay. Thanks again. Bye" I replied, hanging up the phone

I climbed into the passenger seat of Brax's car as he put my bags into the boot of his Ute. Climbing into the driver's seat, he started the engine and drove off…

"This isn't the way to the farm..." I admitted

"No it's not" he replied "you're staying at ours tonight and tomorrow you're gonna sort things with Casey, and before you say it, I've cleared it with your Mum. She said she'll see you tomorrow afternoon"

"Thank you" I stated, smiling at him warmly as we drove onto his street

CASEY'S POV:

The front door opened a little while after I'd woken up. Moving to the entry way to the kitchen and living room, Brax walked in the door, Denny in tow... "What's going on?"

"Denny's staying tonight" Brax informed me "and tomorrow you're going to sort things"

"Is that okay?" Denny questioned, raising an eyebrow at me

"Of course it is" I replied "are you hungry?"

"Starving" she admitted

Holding out my hand to her, I smiled at her warmly as she took it and I led her into the kitchen…

DENNY'S POV:

After finishing off in the bathroom, I walked down the hallway to Casey's bedroom and shut the door behind me, him watching me as I changed out of my clothes and into my pyjamas… "I'm sorry"

"I'm sorry too" he sighed "I shouldn't have flown off the handle at you"

"I shouldn't have lied" I replied

"Let's put it in the past and move on, yeah?" he suggested, raising an eyebrow at me

"I'd like that" I admitted, smiling at him warmly

Lifting his arm from where it had been resting against the bedsheets, I climbed into bed and snuggled down next to him, resting my head against his chest…

"I love you" I informed him

"I love you too" he mirrored

**So Casey and Denny are back on track thanks to super Brax! What's to come, I wonder?**


	28. Chapter 28

DENNY'S POV:

Leaving Casey on the beach that morning as he waxed his surfboard ready to head into the water, I made an excuse to go and get us some drinks. Taking a detour as I arrived in the surf club, I walked up the stairs to Angelo's, finding Brax setting up…

"What can I do for you?" he asked

"Would it be possible for you to close this place for tonight?" I questioned

"Why would I want to close this place for you?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow at me

"So I can make it up to Casey properly" I explained "I feel awful about lying to him and I wanna do something for him, something that's just him and me. So, can you?"

"Consider it done" he replied, smiling at me warmly

"Thank you" I proclaimed, reciprocating his smile as I left the restaurant

CASEY'S POV:

Evening fell on the Bay and I made my way into the kitchen and looked through the fridge, shutting the door and sighing as I saw we had nothing in…

"There's nothing in" Brax informed me as he walked out of his bedroom

"I got that" I replied

"Why don't you go and get us some pizzas from the restaurant?" he suggested

"Why didn't you bring any home with you like you normally do?" I inquired

"I only found out after I got home that Ric hadn't been to do the food shop as she got caught up on a shoot, so why don't you go and get them now?" he questioned

"If you're going to get us pizzas, shouldn't you get changed?" Ricky inquired

"Why do I need to get changed?" I asked "I'm just going to pick up pizzas"

"Case, just do it" she sighed

"I'm blaming the pregnancy hormones for your craziness" I informed her

DENNY'S POV:

I sat on a barstool waiting for Casey to arrive, Brax having messaged me letting me know he was on his way. Taking a sip of my drink, I heard footsteps making their way up and set my glass down, seeing him appear a few moments later…

CASEY'S POV:

The restaurant was all in darkness but wasn't locked up. Stepping inside, I saw Denny sat at the bar… "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you" she informed me "do you fancy dinner?"

"I'm meant to be getting pizzas for…" I began "oh, that's why Ricky said I should get changed"

Denny chuckled and nodded her head, signalling yes… "But just so you know, I wouldn't have minded you in your boardies and a t-shirt"

I smiled at her warmly and pressed my lips against hers as she wrapped her arms around my waist… "You're sneaky, you know that?"

She nodded her head, signalling yes… "I wanted to apologise properly"

"Okay. So what do you have planned?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow at her

Taking my hand in hers, she led me outside, a table set up for two…

"When did you plan all this?" I asked

"This morning" she replied "when I said I was going to get us juices"

"You really are sneaky" I chuckled as we both sat down

"Are you complaining?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow at me

"No, not at all" I replied

DENNY'S POV:

After our meal, Casey and I made our way along the beach back to his hand-in-hand… "I can't believe I'm staying at yours again tonight. Mum's gonna think I'm avoiding her"

"I can take you home if you wanna see her?" he suggested

"No, it's fine. I'll leave yours after breakfast and spend the day with her" I replied

"You sure?" he inquired

I stopped in my tracks and turned to him, nodding my head, signalling yes… "I love how much you care though"

Smiling at me warmly, he kissed me softly… "So what do you wanna do when we get back?"

Leaning up on my tiptoes, I pressed my body against his as I pressed my lips against his…

"Even with my lot being around?" he questioned

"I like a challenge" I admitted, smirking at him playfully as I pulled away from him

CASEY'S POV:

After saying goodnight to Brax and Ricky, Denny and I hurried into my bedroom, laughing as we went, me shutting the door behind us, pulling her into me and pressing my lips against hers as I leant against the now closed door. Pushing myself away from the door as we kissed, I moved us to the bed, both of us falling down onto it…

DENNY'S POV:

"Do you think we managed our challenge?" I asked as Casey and I lay together afterwards

"We'll find out tomorrow morning over breakfast" he informed me

"Oh God" I proclaimed "just imagine if we didn't. That'll be humiliating!"

"If my brothers give us grief, I can always remind them of times when I've walked in on or heard stuff I'd rather not" he replied "so we'll be fine"

"Good" I stated, leaning up to press my lips against his

**So breakfast could be an awkward occasion, but will it be?**


	29. Chapter 29

CASEY'S POV:

"Here he is, Mr. Stud Muffin" Heath proclaimed as I walked into the kitchen the next morning

"What?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at him

"Get lucky last night, did you?" he inquired

"Oh God" Denny's voice proclaimed from behind me as she followed me through

"Here she is" Heath chuckled "have fun last night, did you, Miss. Miller?"

"Yeah" she replied nonchalantly as she made her way to the table and poured herself a juice

"Think you need to raise the stakes in the bedroom if the Mrs is only saying yeah" Heath informed me

Shaking my head, I smiled warmly at Denny as she handed me a juice too…

"Awe, to be young and in love, eh, babe?" he questioned, wrapping his arm around Bianca

"Leave them alone" she replied, shaking her head at him

"Didn't think you two would be emerging till dinnertime" Brax admitted, smirking at us as he and Ricky made their way into the house after their morning surf

"Well, it's not like I've not heard things from you two that have scarred me for life so I thought it was about time I repaid the favour" I informed them "now can we be done with the jokes and have a nice, civilised breakfast?"

"Ooh, get you!" Heath proclaimed "but no can do I'm afraid, some of us have to work"

"Yes they do, and remember who signs your pay cheques" I replied as he made his way out of the house

"Yes, boss" he stated, mock saluting me before disappearing down the driveway

"Right, everybody for waffles?" Bianca inquired as she stood up from the table

"I'll help" Denny informed her

"And we're going to go for a shower" Brax informed us, leading Ricky through to the bedroom

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do" I proclaimed as their bedroom door shut behind them, rubbing my shoulder as Denny hit me with a tea towel playfully, shaking her head at me as I looked up at her

CASEY'S POV:

Arriving at the farmhouse to drop Denny off after breakfast, I switched the engine off and turned to her, her removing her seatbelt and turning to me…

"Well, we didn't get as much grief as I thought we would" she admitted

"Believe me, it could've been a lot worse" I informed her

"I think your comment about being scarred for life by some of their activities shut them up" she replied, smiling at me warmly

I nodded my head in agreement… "What time do you want me to pick you up tomorrow?"

"Lunchtime? We can eat before we drive back to the city?" she suggested, raising an eyebrow at me

"I can't believe the time has come for me to look at uni's again" I admitted

"Are you still set on the personal training course?" she questioned

"I think so, yeah" I replied "let's just hope I get the grades this time around"

"The way you've been working, you're bound to" she assured me

"I did all the work last time, but I didn't get the grades" I sighed

"Think positive. Isn't that what you've always told me?" she inquired

Nodding my head, signalling yes, I smiled at her warmly as she pressed her lips against mine… "I'll see you tomorrow"

"See you tomorrow" I mirrored as she grabbed her bags from her feet and climbed out of the Ute

**Not so much an awkward breakfast as a banter breakfast, and the time has come for Casey to start looking at universities again – what does his future hold? And what does the future hold for him and Denny?**


	30. Chapter 30

DENNY'S POV:

"So you and Casey have sorted things, yeah?" Sophie questioned as I continued to unpack and organise my side of our dorm room after arriving back at university

I nodded my head, signalling yes… "I'm sorry for flying off the handle at you before I left. I was just worried, that's all. How was the party?"

"Yawn fest 2014" she informed me "power cut halfway through the night and no answer from maintenance to get it sorted, so yeah, basically, it blew"

"Glad I missed out then" I replied, smirking at her

"So, when is the lovely Casey gracing us with his presence again?" she inquired

"This weekend" I informed her "so I may need this place to myself…"

"Consider it done" she assured me "it's the least I can do. I'll bunk in with Chris"

"How are things going between you two anyway?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at her

"They're okay" she replied "he's a great guy, but I don't see it going anywhere. Maybe I just need to spend some more time with him"

I nodded my head in agreement… "Do you have any laundry? I'm off there now so may as well take yours if there is any too"

"In the corner" she informed me "thanks"

"You're welcome" I replied as I grabbed her laundry basket too and left the room

CASEY'S POV:

I arrived outside Denny's dorm room early Saturday morning. Knocking on the door, I waited for an answer, not being able to stifle the chuckle that left my mouth as she appeared at the door in her pyjamas complete with bed hair…

"You're early!" she proclaimed, hitting me playfully

"I thought I'd get a head start on the traffic" I informed her "and thought you'd be up and on since you were expecting me"

"Casey, it's 8am, you weren't meant to be here till 10am" she informed me

"I can go wait in the Ute for another 2 hours?" I suggested, raising an eyebrow at her

"No, come in" she replied, grabbing the material of my t-shirt, pulling me into the room, shutting the door behind us "I'm very happy to see you"

"How happy?" I questioned

"This happy" she informed me, leaning up on her tiptoes to press her lips against mine

"Yuck" Sophie proclaimed "not what I wanna see first thing in a morning, no offence"

"Sorry" Denny chuckled as she turned around to face her roommate, my arms wrapping around her waist from behind

"Nice to see you too, Casey" she greeted me, smiling at me warmly "you're early though"

"Nice to see you too" I mirrored "thought I'd surprise this lovely girl here"

"Right, I'm gonna disappear before I barf" she admitted "again, no offence"

DENNY'S POV:

Once Sophie had left the room I turned to Casey and smiled at him warmly…

"Isn't she meant to be dating this Chris guy?" he questioned

"You really wanna talk about Sophie and her love life?" I inquired

"Not particularly, no" he replied, smiling at me warmly as he moved closer to me. Just as our lips brushed, a knock at the door sounded. Smiling at him apologetically, I pulled away and opened the door, sighing as Chris stood outside

"I didn't mean to interrupt" he admitted "I'm just looking for Sophie?"

"You've just missed her" I informed him "and before you ask, no, I don't know where she's going"

He nodded his head in understanding… "You must be Casey? I'm Chris"

"Nice to meet you" Casey greeted him, shaking his hand as Chris walked into the room

"Chris, we were actually kinda busy" I informed him

"How about we all go and grab breakfast? See if we can find Sophie on the way?" he suggested

"We're good" I replied

"Are you sure? How about lunch then?" he inquired

"I'll let you know" I informed him as I walked him backwards out of the room, shutting the door behind him as he stepped foot outside. Sighing with relief, I leant against the door… "Sorry"

"Don't be. He seems… fun" Casey chuckled

"Yeah, he's a barrel of laughs" I replied, rolling my eyes at him

He smirked at me as I moved away from the door and back over to him… "Anyway, where were we?"

"Right about here" I informed him, pressing my lips against his, smiling against his lips as he moved us backwards to my bed and sat down so I was straddling him, my arms winding around his neck, my fingers moving to run through his hair

**Is Chris going to be a pain in the backside for Casey and Denny this weekend? I think so… How will they cope?**


	31. Chapter 31

DENNY'S POV:

Casey and I made our way back to my dorm room to find a poster stuck to the door. Pulling it off, I handed it to Casey…

"What?" he questioned

"Read it" I replied

"Tour and chance to chat with lecturers" he read from the poster "and?"

"Why don't you go and do it?" I suggested, raising an eyebrow at him "think about it, wouldn't it be great? Me and you at the same uni!"

"Are you serious?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow at me

"Yeah" I replied "why? Are you not keen on the idea?"

"It's not that, it's just I've already been accepted to my other uni choice, dependent on my grades this time around" he informed me

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I asked

"I didn't wanna jinx it" he admitted

I smiled at him warmly and leant up on my tiptoes to kiss him softly… "I love you. But please, can you do this for me? You've always said it's good to have choices"

"Okay" he replied

"There you are…" Chris sighed as he hurried over to us "I've been looking for you both"

"Why?" I questioned

"Party tonight at my dorm" he informed us "you're up for it, right?"

"As long as it's not gonna be a blow out like the last one?" I inquired

"We have a back up power supply this time so if the power blows, the party will keep on a rocking" he assured us

"Okay. Well we'll be there right, Case?" I questioned

He nodded his head, signalling yes…

"See you tonight then" Chris proclaimed, hurrying off down the path

"That boy is an idiot" I sighed as I unlocked the door to my dorm room

"He's not too bad" Casey replied as we walked in, shutting the door behind us

"He's hyper 24/7, I don't know how Sophie copes" I admitted, flopping down onto my bed

CASEY'S POV:

Denny and I made our way to Chris's dorm that evening, music blaring. Glancing at each other, I placed my hand on her lower back as we made our way inside and over to the makeshift bar, grabbing both of us a beer…

"Ah, you made it!" Chris proclaimed as he made his way over with Sophie "who's up for drinking games?"

"Nuh uh, not me" Denny replied, taking a sip of her beer "I'll be sticking to this, thank you"

"Wimp" he chuckled "what about you, Casey?"

"I'm good too thanks" I replied

"Soph?" Chris questioned

She nodded her head, signalling yes, both of them making their way back into the crowd, Denny resting her head against my chest as she turned to me…

"What's up?" I asked

"What's up? What's up is I'm gonna have to sort her out tomorrow morning when she stumbles in still half-drunk" she sighed

I wrapped my arm around her and kissed the top of her head… "That's tomorrow. Tonight, we have fun"

"We do?" she inquired

"Yes" I replied "shall we dance?"

She nodded her head, signalling yes, letting me lead her onto the dancefloor…

DENNY'S POV:

I made my way back to the makeshift bar after almost an hour of dancing, Casey having found us a table. Turning around after grabbing us two more beers, Chris stood in front of me…

"Finally, your boyfriend's let you off your leash" he chuckled

"Pardon?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at him

"Joke!" he proclaimed, grabbing himself a beer "so, what exactly do you see in him?"

"Apart from the fact that he's kind, caring, charming and extremely good looking?" I asked

"Yeah, apart from that" he replied

"He's brilliant in bed" I informed him, chuckling as he spat some of his beer onto the floor in shock

"I like my girls forward" he admitted

"Too bad I'm not your girl then, isn't it?" I inquired

"But you could be, if you wanted to be, that is?" he suggested

"Who do you think you are?!" I questioned "you're dating my roommate and you know I've got a boyfriend!"

"I've seen the way you look at me" he informed me

"You're deluded. Seriously deluded" I replied

"Come on, Denny" he proclaimed, pulling me closer to him

"Get off me or I'll scream!" I hissed, pushing him away from me

He did as I said but didn't let go of my waist and instead moved closer to me, his lips moving closer to mine. Lifting my knee, I let it connect with his groin before pushing him to the floor… "Do you get it now?! I'm not interested!"

"Everything okay over here?" Casey questioned as he walked over

"Yeah, everything's fine" I assured him "Chris just had a little accident. Can we go?"

He nodded his head, signalling yes, wrapping his arm around my shoulder as we walked out of the dorm…

**So I think we've guessed Denny can more than hold her own… Is this the last we've seen of Chris?**


	32. Chapter 32

CASEY'S POV:

Denny and I had come off campus for breakfast and had headed to a little café a five minute walk from the university. Taking a seat in a booth after we'd ordered at the counter, she sighed heavily…

"What's wrong?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her

"There's something I have to tell you" she informed me

"Well don't keep me in suspense" I replied, chuckling softly

"It's no laughing matter, Case" she admitted

"You're not, y'know, are you?" I inquired

"No!" she proclaimed "it's about last night…"

"What about last night?" I questioned

"Chris" she informed me, pursing her lips together nervously

"What happened?" I asked

"He didn't have an accident" she informed me "I kneed him in his special place because he tried it on with me"

DENNY'S POV:

Casey stayed silent as I told him what had happened with Chris the night before and as time drew on, I was getting more and more nervous… "Casey, say something, please"

"You're a right little firecracker, aren't you?" he questioned

"You're not angry?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow at him

"At him, yes. You, no" he replied, smiling at me warmly

I sighed with relief as he entwined his hand with mine… "I love you, you know that, right?"

"I do, and I love you too" he informed me, leaning across the table, pressing his lips against mine as the waitress made her way across to our table, setting our breakfasts down in front of us

CASEY'S POV:

Denny and I walked back to the university hand-in-hand and suddenly she stopped in her tracks and turned to face me… "What is it?"

"I need to tell Sophie" she informed me "oh God, she's gonna be devastated!"

"Telling her is the right thing to do" I replied "she'll thank you for it in the long run"

"And until then?" she questioned

"Denny, you've not done anything wrong! You rejected Chris when he tried it on with you. He's the one in the wrong and the one Sophie should be angry at, not you" I stated

"Yeah" she sighed "I'm just nervous. What about you, are you nervous?"

"What have I got to be nervous about?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at her

"The taster day?" she inquired

"No, it's just a wander round and a chat with lecturers. It's all good" I assured her

Smiling at me warmly, she wrapped her arm around my neck and kissed me softly…

DENNY'S POV:

After saying goodbye to Casey at the taster day, I made my way back to mine and Sophie's dorm, finding her making her bed…

"Hey" she greeted me "how was breakfast?"

"Good thanks. Do you have time to chat?" I questioned

"Not really; I'm running late" she admitted

"It'll only take a minute" I informed her "so please, can you just sit?"

"What's going on?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at me as she sat down on her bed

Moving across the room to her, I sat opposite her on her bed… "You know you're my friend, right, and I'd never do anything to hurt you?"

"Yeah…" she replied "what's this all about?"

"Last night Chris tried it on with me" I admitted, swallowing a lump in my throat as I spoke

"What?" she inquired

"I'm sorry" I replied "he said he'd seen the way I look at him and I told him he was deluded. I'm sorry, Sophie"

"See the way you look at him?" she questioned "you're right, he is deluded. Anyone can tell you've only got eyes for Casey!"

I smiled weakly at her as she spoke… "So what are you going to do?"

CASEY'S POV:

As I walked around the taster day looking at all the tables of potential courses to choose from, the sports one caught my eye. Moving across the hall, I picked up a leaflet and began to look through it…

"Interested in sports, are you?" an unfamiliar voice asked

I nodded my head, signalling yes… "I work in a gym back home"

"What are you most interested in?" the man in question inquired

"Personal training" I informed him "that's what I wanna do"

"Well we've got a great personal training programme here if I do say so myself" he replied, handing me another leaflet "you should apply. If it's something you're passionate about, we'd be more than happy to have you"

"Do you have an application form?" I asked

Nodding his head, signalling yes, he turned around and then turned back to me, handing me one… "You can hand it in at reception or send it back via post if you're not here for long"

"Thank you" I replied, shaking his outstretched hand

"Take care" he stated

DENNY'S POV:

Casey arrived back at our dorm room and sat down on the end of my bed. Moving to sit next to him, I rested my head on his shoulder… "How did it go?"

"Good" he replied "I've been given an application form for the personal training course here, and the lecturer I spoke to said they'd be happy to have me"

"That's great" I proclaimed, smiling at him warmly as I looked up at him

As he was about to reply a knock at the door sounded… "Sophie!"

"I was wondering when he'd show up" she sighed

"Do you want me to take care of him?" Casey questioned

"No, leave it" she replied "he'll get bored soon enough"

Nodding his head in understanding, he climbed off the bed and grabbed his bag from the bottom of my bed. As he began to pack things into it, I wrapped my arms around his waist from behind…

"Do you really have to go?" I inquired

Smiling warmly as he brought one of my hands up from his waist to his lips and kissed it gently, I rested the side of my face against his back…

"Yeah, I do" he informed me "I've gotta get back to studying and the gym"

After checking the coast was clear from a persistent Chris, I walked Casey to Brax's Ute and leant against it as Casey threw his bag into the passenger seat and moved to stand opposite me…

"What's wrong?" he asked

"I hate it when you have to leave" I admitted

"I know you do, and so do I, but you don't normally get this upset" he replied

"What if Chris tries it on with me again?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at him

"You can knee him in the balls again" he chuckled, moving a piece of stray hair from my face

I smiled at him warmly as he pulled me into him and kissed the top of my head… "I'm sorry this hasn't quite been the visit we had in mind"

"I've got to spend time with you, so I don't care" he informed me

I leant up on my tiptoes and pressed my lips against his… "I'll see you in a couple of weeks?"

He nodded his head, signalling yes… "I'm looking forward to it already"

"Me too" I mirrored, kissing him softly again

**So Casey has some decisions to make about his future; what will he decide? And what about Denny? Will Chris make a move again now Casey's gone back to the Bay?**


	33. Chapter 33

CASEY'S POV:

After unpacking and sorting out my washing for Ricky per her request, I sat down at the kitchen table and began to look through all the information I'd been given at Denny's university. Sighing heavily, I ran my hands over my face…

"What's all that?" Brax's voice asked. Turning, he was walking towards the table…

"Nothing" I replied, quickly gathering all of it up, sighing as he grabbed one of the leaflets

"You went to another taster day?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow at me

I nodded my head, signalling yes… "Denny thinks I should apply for the personal training course at her uni"

"And you don't think that's a good idea?" he asked

"I don't know" I admitted "I've been accepted to this other uni depending on my grades, but I don't wanna upset Denny either"

"Mate, you have to do what's right for you" he informed me "you can't go around pleasing other people and putting your feelings to one side. You should know that by now, and whatever you decide, I'm sure Denny will understand. She loves you and you love her, so if you do decide to go to the other uni, you'll make things work. You're doing so now which shows that you can make it work. Stop worrying for now and think about it tomorrow. Why don't you come and have dinner with me and Ric?"

"Nah, you two go and enjoy yourselves" I replied "I'm gonna have a shower and just chill"

"Do you want us to bring you back some food then?" Ricky asked as she walked into the kitchen

"Please" I informed her, smiling at her warmly

"Okay" she replied "what? Why are you smiling at me like that?"

"I'm happy" I admitted "my brother's happy and you're the reason behind it. You and this little one…"

She smiled at me warmly as I spoke… "Thanks, Case. You do realise we're going to be using Uncle Casey a lot, don't you?"

I nodded my head, signalling yes… "More than happy to help"

"Let's see if you're still saying that when this one comes along and there's dirty nappies galore" Brax chuckled as he moved across the room to Ricky and wrapped his arm around her

"Go on, get out, both of you" I chuckled, shooing them through the living room to the front door

"Missing Denny by any chance?" Ricky inquired, raising an eyebrow at me

"More than normal actually" I admitted "have fun"

"See you later" Brax replied, shutting the front door behind them as they made their way outside

DENNY'S POV:

"Hey, handsome" I greeted Casey as I answered his Skype video call

"Hi" he mirrored as he appeared on-screen "how's things on the Chris front?"

"Awful" I sighed "Sophie finally opened the door to him and they've been arguing outside ever since. I'm surprised you can't hear them"

"I bet you wish you'd come back here with me now, don't you?" he questioned

I nodded my head, signalling yes… "I'd give anything to get away from it, but guess what?"

"What?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow at me

"My lectures from Thursday onwards have been cancelled so I'm coming home" I informed him

"That's great!" he proclaimed, smiling at me warmly

I smiled at him warmly… "Have you thought any more about your uni options?"

"Brax and I had a chat so I've got some thinking to do" he admitted

"You know I'm not trying to pressure you into choosing here, don't you?" I questioned

"Of course" I replied "but I do agree, it would be nice to be at the same uni together"

"You do?" I asked

He nodded his head, signalling yes… "Seeing you every day, it'd be brilliant"

I smiled at him warmly… "I love you but I've gotta go. Sophie's just come hurrying in and headed to the bathroom in tears. I'll text you later?"

"Give her a hug from me, yeah?" he questioned "speak to you later. Love you too"

**So Casey's got some thinking to do and Denny's assured him she's okay with whatever decision he makes. What decision will he make, I wonder?**


	34. Chapter 34

DENNY'S POV:

As I packed up ready to head back to the Bay for my long weekend, a knock at the door sounded. Looking up, I saw it was Chris… "What do you want?"

"A chance to apologise without getting punched or kicked in the nuts again?" he inquired

"I can promise you that you won't get punched but I can't promise you won't get kicked in the nuts" I informed him "it depends how your apology goes…"

"Okay" he replied, exhaling a breath "for what I did the other night, I'm sorry, I was an idiot"

"No, you were a first class idiot. Do you not realise how amazing Sophie is?" I questioned

"I do now I've lost her" he admitted "and I really am sorry for trying it on with you, especially when you have a boyfriend. I was stupid and I hope you can forgive me?"

"You've gotta understand that Sophie's my friend" I admitted "and I don't wanna make it seem as though I'm betraying her but yes, you're forgiven. Just don't do it again, okay?"

He nodded his head, signalling yes… "Going anywhere nice?"

"Chris…" I sighed

"Yeah, sorry" he replied "I'll go. See you around"

"See you around" I mirrored, watching as he walked away

CASEY'S POV:

I arrived back at the house after my surf to find Denny sat on the sofa eating a sandwich. Turning to look as she heard my footsteps, she set her plate down and stood up, moving across the room to me where I pulled her into me… "Hi"

"Hi" she mirrored, smiling as I kissed her gently

"How did you get in?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at her

"Me…" Brax informed me as he walked through into the living room from his and Ricky's bedroom

"I thought you were going to the restaurant?" I asked

"I am now" he replied "don't worry, lovebirds, you've got the place to yourself"

"Shut up" I sighed as he ruffled my hair as he moved past us and out to his Ute

DENNY'S POV:

"So how long do I have you for?" Casey asked as he shut the door after Brax had left

"Till Tuesday at least" I informed him "Mum's away on business and that's when lectures are cancelled until"

"How come they're cancelled anyway?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow at me

"A bunch of the lecturers are off sick apparently" I replied as we made our way into the kitchen "and they're really short staffed which means no cover"

"Well, you wanna know what I'm thinking?" he asked, a squeal escaping my lips as he picked me up and lifted me onto the worktop with ease, moving to stand between my legs

"What's that?" I inquired, letting my hands run from his shoulders down his chest

"That we should make the most of having a free house while we can" he informed me

"I was thinking the same thing" I replied, smiling at him warmly

"Really? You were?" he questioned

I nodded my head, signalling yes as he took my hands in his and helped me down from the worktop and began to walk backwards through to his bedroom…

**So Denny's home for a while and Chris has apologised… Does he mean it though?**


	35. Chapter 35

DENNY'S POV:

I made my way into the kitchen early on the morning of Casey's birthday, Ricky quickly covering whatever she was doing with a towel…

"Phew, it's only you" she sighed with relief, removing the towel from the birthday cake

"Did you make that?" I questioned

She nodded her head, signalling yes… "Do you like it?"

"It looks too good to eat" I proclaimed

"Well unfortunately it's going to be" she informed me "how long do you think it'll be before Casey wakes up?"

"I can go and get him up now if you like?" I suggested

"No, no, don't worry" she replied "I'm gonna make a start on breakfast as soon as Brax is back with the supplies needed"

"Here he is" I informed her as the front door opened, Brax making his way through to the kitchen, hands laden with bags

"What are you two talking about?" he asked as he set the bags down on the worktop

"Just when I should get Casey up" I informed him

"Now" he replied "we're gonna go for an early morning surf"

"Do you mind waiting an hour?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow at him

"Why?" he asked

"The present I've got him is a new, engraved surfboard" I informed him "I want him to take it out"

"That's lovely" Ricky proclaimed, smiling at me warmly

"Do you think he'll like it?" I questioned

"Who'll like what?" Casey's voice asked, myself, Brax and Ricky all turning to him

"Nothing to do with you" I informed him "how about we go back to bed?"

"Do I not get a birthday kiss first?" he questioned

"You can get more than just a birthday kiss if you follow me" I replied

"Behave, kids!" Brax proclaimed as we hurried into the bedroom

CASEY'S POV:

An hour later Denny and I made our way back through to the kitchen having gotten showered and dressed, both of us seeing a birthday breakfast set up on the table…

"Thanks, Ric" I stated, kissing her cheek softly

"It wasn't all her, y'know…" Brax informed me

"Oh, thanks, Brax" I replied, moving to kiss his cheek too

"Don't you dare!" he proclaimed

"Where's the birthday boy?" Heath's voice questioned as he and Bianca walked inside

"Happy Birthday, Casey" Bianca greeted me, handing me a card and a bag

"Thank you" I replied, kissing her cheek softly as I took both things from her

DENNY'S POV:

The birthday breakfast had been devoured and now Casey was in the middle of opening all his presents. Thanking Brax and Ricky for the watch they'd bought him, he arrived at mine, smiling at me warmly as he read the tag…

"Thank you!" he proclaimed as he tore off the wrapping paper

"Do you like it?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at him

"I love it" he informed me, pulling me closer to him and kissing me softly "thank you"

"Case, what does that say?" Bianca asked, motioning to the engraving at the bottom of the board

"To Casey, happy birthday, I love you, love, Denny xx" he informed her

"Denny, that's adorable!" she proclaimed

"This must've cost you a fortune" he sighed as he turned to me

"Mr. Stewart had a contact in Yabbie Creek who did it for cheap" I informed him

"Thank you" he replied, kissing me once again

"You're welcome" I stated, smiling at him warmly as we pulled apart

**Happy Birthday, Casey! What else do you think is in store for Casey's birthday?**


	36. Chapter 36

DENNY'S POV:

Ricky and I sat on the beach waiting for Brax and Casey as they had their morning surf, a warm, wide smile appearing on my face as I watched him jog up the beach towards me, his toned and tanned torso on display, the water dripping from his body...

"Earth to Denny…" he chuckled

"Sorry" I replied, snapping out of my trance

"Were you having a nice little daydream there?" he questioned

"Actually I was" I informed him as he dried himself off with the towel I threw to him

"What was it about?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow at me

"Nothing really" I replied, glancing at Brax and Ricky

Smirking, he sat down next to me and whispered into my ear… "Maybe we should get you into the water to cool off if you're that hot and bothered?"

"No chance" I informed him, smiling at him warmly

"What are you guys doing?" Brax questioned

"We're gonna stay here for a bit" Casey informed him

"We'll see you later then" Brax replied as he helped Ricky to her feet, the both of them making their way up the beach

"Why are we staying here?" I asked as I turned back to Casey

"Because, no matter what you say, we're going in the water" he informed me

"No we're not, no way!" I proclaimed

"Oh come on" he chuckled "let's get you cooled off, shall we?"

"Casey, no!" I squealed as he threw me over his shoulder and made his way down to the water

CASEY'S POV:

I laughed as I dropped Denny into the water head first, smiling at her warmly as she appeared from the surface, pushing her hair from her face…

"You're going to pay for that, Braxton" she informed me

"How do you intend on doing that then?" I questioned

Wrapping her arms around my neck, she pushed her body against mine, pushing both of us down to the water…

"Well played, well played" I replied as I shook my hair, smirking as the water hit her

Making her way back up to the sand, I watched as she quickly removed her now sodden wet t-shirt and shorts and made her way back into the water…

"Who's getting hot under the collar now?" she asked, snapping me from my trance

Pulling her into me, I kissed her passionately… "I've just realised, I haven't thanked you for your present yet"

"Keep doing more of that" she replied "and we can call it even"

Smiling warmly at her, I captured her lips in mine again…

DENNY'S POV:

Casey and I made our way up the beach a little while later, me wrapped in his towel as he carried my clothes and his surfboard back to the house…

"Did you two have fun?" Ricky asked as she made her way out of hers and Brax's bedroom

"Yeah we did" Casey replied

"Good" she stated, smiling at us both warmly "now I'm off to help Brax set up at the restaurant. Don't be late, okay?"

"Are you sure you should be pushing yourself?" Casey questioned, raising an eyebrow at her

"Do you really think Brax is letting me push myself?" she inquired

"No, I guess not" he chuckled "and yes, we'll be there on time, I promise"

"Good" she replied "see you both later"

"Is there something you're not telling me?" I asked as Ricky walked out of the door

"Ricky and Brax are pregnant" he informed me "but they're not at the 3-month stage yet so they're keeping it quiet. Promise me you won't say anything?"

"Promise" I assured him "so you're going to be Uncle Casey, are you?"

"I guess so" he replied, smiling at me warmly

Reciprocating his warm smile, I kissed him softly… "I'm off for a shower"

"I called shotgun!" he proclaimed

"Too late" I informed him as I hurried through to the bathroom, him hurrying after me

**So Casey's having a great birthday so far, do you think anything could ruin it? I can think of something that might… **


	37. Chapter 37

CASEY'S POV:

Denny and I arrived at Angelo's as evening was beginning to set on the Bay, Brax having organised a party for me. Making our way over to the bar, choruses of happy birthday being thrown left, right and centre, he handed both of us a beer…

"Happy Birthday, bro" Heath greeted me, slapping me on the arm as he did so

"Thanks, Heath" I replied, taking a sip of my beer

"And who's this?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow at me "it looks like your girlfriend, but she's wearing a dress…"

"Shut up, Heath" Denny sighed, moving to sit on one of the barstools

"She even sounds like her too!" he proclaimed "freaky, mate, freaky!"

"Shut up, Heath" Bianca sighed as she walked over to the three of us "happy birthday, Case"

"Thank you" I replied

"Right, lover, don't you think it's time I had another drink?" Bianca suggested, raising an eyebrow at Heath

He nodded his head, signalling yes. Smiling at us warmly, he placed his hand on her lower back and led her to the other side of the bar…

DENNY'S POV:

Casey and I had just made our way back to the bar from the dancefloor when the lights dimmed and people started to sing "happy birthday". Turning to the direction of the kitchen, I entwined my hand with his as Brax walked out, carrying his birthday cake…

"Happy birthday, mate!" he proclaimed as he set it on the table

"Make a wish" I stated, kissing his cheek as he moved to blow out his candles

"Well, well, well, isn't this cosy?!" an unfamiliar voice questioned

CASEY'S POV:

"_Well, well, well, isn't this cosy?"_

As I finished blowing out my candles I looked up, seeing Mum stood in the doorway… "Mum"

"Mum, what are you doing here?" Brax asked, moving in front of me as she made her way into the restaurant

"Here to see my boy on his birthday" she informed him

"I don't want you here" I admitted, swallowing a lump in my throat as I spoke

"What?" she questioned

"You heard him" Brax replied "now I'd like you to leave my restaurant"

"You have done well for yourself, haven't you?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow at him

He nodded his head, signalling yes… "Just go, Mum"

"I'd love to, but I'd like to catch up with my old friend, Ricky" she proclaimed, moving across to her, slinging her arm around her shoulder

"You need to do as Brax says, Cheryl" she admitted, removing her arm from around her shoulder

"Oh, I see" Mum chuckled "you two have finally hooked up, have you?"

"Not that it's any of your business but yes we have" Brax informed her, moving over to Ricky

"Just go, Mum" I begged, sighing heavily

"Who's this pretty little thing?" she inquired, motioning to Denny

DENNY'S POV:

Cheryl moved over to me and held out her hand. Glancing at Casey, I raised an eyebrow at him…

"You know, it's customary to shake someone's hand" she informed me

Turning back to her, I shook her hand… "Denny"

"My girlfriend" Casey informed her

"Well, well, haven't you struck gold?" she questioned

"Yeah, I have" he replied

"I was talking to Denny…" she admitted "well, haven't you?"

I nodded my head, signalling yes… "The man Casey is now is a reflection on the way he was brought up"

"Why thank you" she replied

"I was talking about the way Brax brought him up" I informed her "because from what I hear, you were too busy to raise your children"

"Go Denny!" Heath proclaimed

"Heath…" Brax sighed, shaking his head

"Can you not see where you're not wanted, Mum?" Heath inquired

Cheryl glanced around the room and pulled something out of her handbag, throwing it onto the table by the cake…

**Bet you weren't expecting that, were you? Will we be seeing Cheryl again?**


	38. Chapter 38

CASEY'S POV:

Mum walked out of the restaurant, turning her head to us as she made her way to the stairs and I sighed heavily, running my hands over my face before making my way outside onto the balcony…

DENNY'S POV:

I watched Casey as he made his way out onto the balcony and went to follow him, Brax stopping me… "What?"

"Let him have a few minutes to get his head around everything" he replied

I sighed heavily… "Why do you think she turned up now, after all this time?"

He shrugged his shoulders in reply… "You never know with our Mum"

"I'm gonna go and see if I can find her" I informed him

"Denny, no" he proclaimed "leave her. It'll only make things worse"

"What am I meant to do? Just sit here whilst Casey's head's a mess because of her?" I asked

"My head's not a mess" Casey admitted as he walked back into the restaurant

"Are you okay?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at him

"Fine, but can we get out of here?" he inquired

"Case, don't let Mum ruin your party" Brax sighed

"She hasn't" he replied "I just wanna go for a walk on the beach. We'll be back soon"

"You sure?" he asked as he moved across to Casey, placing a hand on his shoulder

Casey nodded his head, signalling yes… "We won't be too long"

"Okay" Brax replied, smiling at us both warmly as Casey entwined his hand with mine and we left the restaurant

CASEY'S POV:

Denny and I had been walking along the beach for about ten minutes when we sat down, watching the ocean, her arm looping through mine, her fingertips running up and down the skin of my arm, her head resting on my shoulder…

"You don't have to lie to me, y'know…" she informed me

"She hasn't bothered with me in 3 years, so why now?" I questioned

"I wish I knew" she replied "why don't you see if you can find her? I can make an excuse for you back at the party"

I shook my head, signalling no… "If she'd have wanted to stick around, she wouldn't have listened to Heath and Brax when they asked her to leave"

"I'm sorry for what I said too" she admitted "I shouldn't have. It was out of order"

"You were right though" I replied "she was too busy to raise me. Brax hasn't just been a brother to me, he's been a Dad, and I can't thank him enough"

I turned to her as she smiled at me warmly… "Thank you"

"What for?" she questioned

"For making me see that I don't need anyone else than the people I've already got in my life" I informed her

DENNY'S POV:

"_For making me see that I don't need anyone else than the people I've already got in my life"_

As Casey finished speaking, my heart skipped a beat. Moving closer to him, I captured his lips in mine, kissing him passionately, smiling into the kiss as I felt him move my back towards the sand…

CASEY'S POV:

Denny and I made our way back into Angelo's a little while later, and as she went to freshen herself up, I made my way to the bar to get us another drink…

"You okay?" Brax questioned as I took a sip of my beer

"Yeah" I replied "I really am. Denny's made me see that I don't need Mum, because I've got everyone in my life that I need right here"

He smiled at me warmly as I turned to look at him… "She's a good influence on you, mate"

"Just like Ricky is on you" I informed him, watching him as his eyes darted to where she was sat in a booth talking to Bianca, Denny joining them "we're lucky, aren't we?"

"What are you two sooks talking about?" Heath asked as he joined us

"The women in our lives" I replied, motioning over to where they were sitting "we're lucky, aren't we?"

"Yeah we are" they both stated in unison, a chuckle escaping all of our lips as we watched them

"Have you thought any more about uni, Case?" Brax asked as we turned back to the bar

"It's the only thing that's been on my mind lately" I admitted

"And, have you made any decisions yet?" he questioned

"I've been reading through the prospectuses for both courses and I'm not just saying it because Denny's there, but I think I'd be happier at her uni" I informed him

"What are you gonna do about accommodation?" he asked

"I guess I'll have to look for a flat" I replied "yet another thing to add to the already very long list"

"You take care of getting the grades you need and I'll take care of accommodation" Brax informed me

"What? Really?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow at him

He nodded his head, signalling yes… "Leave it with me"

"Thank you" I replied

**So what does Brax have in store for Casey's accommodation problem?**


	39. Chapter 39

DENNY'S POV:

"Seemed like you and your brothers were having a nice chat earlier?" I questioned as Casey and I got organised for bed after his party that evening

"We were" he informed me "we were talking about how lucky we've got"

"Well, I hate to sound cheesy, but you're about to get even luckier" I admitted

"Oh, really?" he questioned

Nodding my head, signalling yes as I turned to him, a warm smile on his face as I stood before him in just my bra and knickers. Holding his hand out to me, I took it willingly and let him pull me onto the bed so I was lying next to him, his lips capturing mine, his body moving on top of mine…

I swallowed a lump in my throat as I felt Casey kiss his way across my stomach, moving lower down, his lips brushing against the fabric of my knickers. Feeling his hands run up and down my legs, I knew it was his way of telling me to relax. Laying my head back against the pillow, I shut my eyes, them snapping open quickly as I felt his hand move the material to the side and his lips descend onto my mound, his tongue licking the length of my opening…

CASEY'S POV:

I kissed my way back up Denny's body as she calmed beneath me and pressed my lips against hers, smiling into the kiss as I felt her hand stroking through the back of my hair. Pulling away from her I rested my forehead against hers…

"You don't even need to ask if that was okay" she informed me

"I don't?" I questioned

She shook her head, signalling no… "I liked it"

"You did?" I asked

"Yeah" she replied, pushing her body against mine so that I rolled onto my back, her body moving to straddle mine "but now, you're going to like what I do"

Smiling at her warmly, I leant up and kissed her gently, smirking as her hands rested on my chest and pushed me back down. Watching her, she shimmied her way down my body and took my boxers with her, throwing them onto the floor, moving back up, letting her bare chest rest against mine as she reached into my bedside table drawer for protection…

DENNY'S POV:

Resting my hands on Casey's chest once again, I lowered myself down onto him, pursing my lips together as he stretched me. Looking at him, he smiled at me warmly, the smile creeping onto my face too as he caressed my cheek, his thumb brushing under my eyelid. Beginning to move on him, his hands holding onto my waist, I moved my hands to rest on his knees, leaning myself back as I continued to move, the telltale tingling beginning to start in my stomach already…

CASEY'S POV:

"Thank you" I whispered, brushing my lips against Denny's forehead as we lay together afterwards

"Have you had a good birthday?" she questioned as her fingertips ran up and down my bare chest

"One of the best" I informed her "and I really mean that"

"Good" she replied, a sigh escaping my lips as she pressed her lips against my chest "I love you"

"I love you too" I mirrored, reaching up to switch my bedside table light off, both of us quickly falling into a deep sleep

**Do you guys think we'll be seeing Cheryl again?**


	40. Chapter 40

CASEY'S POV:

Results day had quickly come around again and today was the day that was going to determine my future for the second time in just under a year. Making my way into the school, Brax by my side for moral support, he placed his hand on my shoulder as I made my way to the hall to receive that envelope…

DENNY'S POV:

"What's got your knickers in a twist?" Sophie asked as I paced our dorm room

"Casey" I informed her, twirling my phone in my hands

"Well I know that…" she chuckled "I sleep in the next bed"

Shaking my head at her vulgarity, I sighed… "It's results day for him. He's meant to be letting me know any time now"

Smiling at me warmly, she was about to reply when my phone rang. Casey…

"Hey" I greeted him as I quickly answered the phone

"You've not been pacing your dorm room, have you?" he questioned

"No!" I proclaimed "so, how did you do? Did you get in?"

"I got in" he informed me

I squealed loudly and started to jump up and down on the spot… "Congratulations!"

"Sure you're gonna be able to put up with me full-time in September?" he inquired

"I think I'll manage" I replied "Case, I'm so proud of you"

"Thank you" he sighed, relief flooding his voice "I wish you were here…"

"I could get the bus and come for a couple of hours?" I suggested, biting my bottom lip

"Brax is nodding his head" he informed me "he's saying family barbecue? Are you gonna stay the night?"

I glanced at the clock on my bedside table seeing it was almost 2pm… "Yeah, by the time I get to you it'll be 4pm, and by the time we've eaten and everything it'll be 6/7pm. I don't wanna have to up and leave straight away"

"Okay" he replied "let me know when you're nearly here and I'll come fetch you"

"Thanks" I stated "love you"

"Love you too" he mirrored, both of us hanging up the phone

As I set my phone down on my bedside table and pulled my overnight bag out from underneath my bed, Sophie made her way over to me and sat down by my side… "What?"

"Looks like Casey will definitely be getting your knickers in a twist tonight" she chuckled

Slapping her shoulder playfully, I shook my head and continued to pack the things I'd need for my overnight trip… "Will you cover for me if I get back late?"

"Best mate/roommate agreement covers it" she assured me "go and have fun, but not too much fun"

"I can't promise that" I admitted, smirking at her "his family are a pretty fun bunch"

She smiled at me warmly as I zipped up my bag… "I'll see you tomorrow"

"See you tomorrow" I mirrored, hugging her quickly before making my way out of the door

CASEY'S POV:

I climbed out of the driver's side of Brax's Ute as I saw Denny making her way out of the bus station, smiling warmly at her as she reached me, her arms wrapping around my neck. Lifting her off her feet, I span us round for a minute or two and then set her feet back on the ground and kissed her gently… "Hi"

"Hi" she mirrored, kissing me once again

"Shall we get going? Brax said he was firing up the barbecue pretty soon" I suggested

She nodded her head, signalling yes… "Don't want Heath getting all the best bits, do we?"

I shook my head, signalling no and took her bag from her, throwing it into the boot as she climbed into the passenger side…

DENNY'S POV:

"Ah, you're just in time" Ricky informed us as Casey and I made our way into the house

I smiled at her warmly as she held out a beer each for us, following her out into the garden…

"Grub's up" Brax proclaimed as we walked into the back garden

"Thanks" I replied as I grabbed a plate from the side, Casey following suit and doing the same

CASEY'S POV:

After dinner everyone was sat out in the garden, Denny sat on my knee, her body draped in my hoodie as she rested her head against my chest, everyone in their own little world; Heath and Bianca snuggled up on the bench with Darcy busy playing one of her video games and Brax and Ricky wrapped up in one another as they both sat on the grass…

"Right…" Brax proclaimed, clapping his hands together suddenly, making everyone jump

"Right what?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow at him

"Your accommodation situation" he informed me

"What about it?" I questioned

"It's sorted" he admitted "on September 1st you and Denny will be moving into your own place off campus"

"What?" Denny and I asked in unison, her sitting up abruptly

"You heard" he replied

"What have you done to pull this?" I questioned

"I know a couple of guys in real estate, and I've cut a deal with them" he explained "your first month's rent plus a deposit is paid in advance"

"Brax, we can't accept it. Thank you, but we can't" Denny admitted

"What are you doing about accommodation next year?" he inquired

"I'm gonna find a place with Sophie, my roommate now" she informed him "well that was the plan…"

"Well, this offer's on the table and if I were you, I'd be crazy to refuse it" he informed us

"Denny…" I spoke

"Can we really accept it?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow at me

I nodded my head, signalling yes… "If you wanna live with me, yeah"

"I wanna live with you" she admitted

"I wanna live with you too" I mirrored, smiling at her warmly

"So we're doing it?" she asked

I nodded my head, signalling yes, her smile matching mine as she kissed me passionately…

"Thank you, Brax" she sighed, turning back to the position she'd been in

"You're welcome" he replied

**Super Brax, eh? And well done, Casey!**


	41. Chapter 41

**Right, let's time jump to the 1****st**** September, shall we, and have moving day for Casey and Denny…**

DENNY'S POV:

Early the morning of the 1st September, Casey and I, followed by Brax and Ricky with another car full of our belongings, made our way to the city and to mine and Casey's new flat. Pulling into the car park of the building, Casey drove into a parking space and switched off the engine, both of us climbing out of the car as Ricky and Brax pulled up next to us and did the same…

"Welcome home" Brax greeted us, pulling a set of keys from his pocket, handing them to me

"Thanks" I replied, smiling at him warmly

Holding out my hand to Casey, he took it willingly and we made our way to the building door, unlocking it and waiting for Brax and Ricky to bring the first load from his Ute, letting them step inside before making our way to our flat, a loud laugh escaping my lips as I unlocked the door, Casey picking me up and carrying me over the threshold…

"Idiot" I chuckled, kissing him softly as he set me down on my feet in the hallway

"That's what I get for trying to be traditional? Charming" he scoffed

"Stop pouting and let's get moving. We've got a busy day ahead of us" I replied

"Yes, Ma'am. I like it when you're bossy" he admitted, smirking at me as Brax made his way through to the hallway

"Ric's gonna stay here and start unpacking the kitchen stuff" he informed us

Nodding my head in understanding, I followed him and Casey back out of the flat and back to the car park to bring another load in…

CASEY'S POV:

Hours later, Denny and I arrived back at our flat after dinner out with Brax and Ricky and flopped down on the sofa…

"I could fall asleep here" Denny admitted

"You're not sleeping out here when we've got a perfectly good bed in there" I proclaimed, motioning through to our bedroom

"Where on earth do we start?" she questioned as she sat up and looked around the room, boxes stacked everywhere

"We'll think about that tomorrow" I replied, taking my hand in hers "but for now, let's get some sleep"

She nodded her head in agreement and we both stood, making our way through to our bedroom…


	42. Chapter 42

CASEY'S POV:

I'd now been at university for 3 months, and it was going great guns! The course was fantastic, the lecturers were brilliant and the work was fast paced but was easy to keep up with, it was the perfect course for me. However, one day, all that changed…

DENNY'S POV:

"Hello?" I questioned as I answered mine and Casey's house phone to an unknown number

"Miss. Miller?" an unfamiliar female voice asked

"That's me. Who's this?" I inquired

"I'm calling from Liverpool hospital" the woman informed me "are you the partner of a Casey Braxton?"

"I am. Is he okay?" I questioned

"He's been brought in with a leg injury" she explained "he's currently waiting to be examined by a doctor after some scans but then he's going to need someone to collect him"

"I'll be there shortly" I informed the woman on the end of the line "thank you for letting me know"

"You're welcome" she replied, both of us hanging up the phone

CASEY'S POV:

"Mr. Braxton, are you decent?" a nurse's voice asked as I sat in a cubicle waiting to be seen by a doctor

"Yes" I replied

The curtain that had been drawn around my cubicle opened and Denny stepped inside, shutting it behind her… "What happened?"

"I got tangled up in some of the equipment doing the assault course" I informed her "and I didn't realise and tried to continue running, which has resulted in this"

She sighed heavily and moved across the bed to me, kissing me softly, running her hand through my hair… "Are you in any pain?"

I nodded my head, signalling yes…

"Do you want me to see if I can get you any more pain relief?" she questioned

"Please" I replied

"I'll be back in a second then" she informed me, kissing me softly once again before disappearing

DENNY'S POV:

Casey had ruptured his Achilles tendon, and would be out of action for at least 2 months. The drive home was silent and as I pulled into our building's car park and switched off the engine, I turned to him… "Talk to me…"

"What is there to say?" he questioned

"Anything" I replied "it's not the end of the world"

"Isn't it?" he inquired "I'm out of action for 2 months, and by that time everyone else on my course is going to be way ahead of me which means it'll be impossible to catch up"

"You don't know that" I sighed "the lecturers could help you devise a plan to get up to speed quicker"

"Just leave it, Denny" he begged. Watching him, he unfastened his seatbelt and climbed out of the car, leaning against it as he shut the door behind him

**Oh dear, so one accident could've ruined Casey's career chances. What do you think will happen next?**


	43. Chapter 43

DENNY'S POV:

It had been four days since Casey had injured himself, and since then, he hadn't spoken, only answered me with one word answers when I spoke to him. I was at my wits end. The half term holidays were nearing and I didn't know how we were going to cope. Watching him from the kitchen as he watched TV in the living room, something which he'd been doing since he'd been discharged from the hospital, I picked up my phone and walked through to our bedroom, dialling Brax's number as I went…

"Hi" he greeted me as he picked up the phone on the third ring

"Hi" I mirrored, sighing heavily as I sat down on the end of our bed

"What's the matter?" he questioned

"Casey hasn't been in contact recently, has he?" I asked

"No, which I thought I was strange. I was just about to call him, actually" he informed me

"Don't. He won't talk" I admitted

"What do you mean he won't talk?" he inquired

"He's ruptured his Achilles tendon" I informed him "he thinks it's the end of the world because he'll be out of action for a couple of months and by the time he can get back to it physically, everyone will be way ahead of him. I don't know what to do, Brax"

"Why don't you suggest coming home for the holidays?" he suggested "maybe coming back home will do him some good"

"I'll suggest it, but I can't promise anything" I replied "I'll call you back"

"Okay. Good luck" he stated

CASEY'S POV:

Denny made her way into the living room and switched off the TV, standing in front of it as I went to reach for the remote… "What?"

"How would you feel about going home for the holidays?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow at me

"I'm not really up for it" I admitted

"I've just spoken to Brax and he's really eager to see you" she informed me "so is Ricky. And with any luck, we'll be there when your niece or nephew is born. Wouldn't that be great?"

"You're not gonna give up till I say yes, are you?" I inquired

She shook her head, signalling no… "I'll go pack"

Smiling at her weakly, she kissed me gently and stood up before hurrying into the bedroom…

DENNY'S POV:

Two hours later, Casey and I pulled into the driveway of the Braxton house and I switched off the engine and turned to face him… "Happy to be home?"

"I suppose" he replied, climbing out of the car as Brax made his way out of the house to us

Following suit, I climbed out of the car too just Brax reached us…

"Hi" he greeted us "alright, Case?"

He shrugged his shoulders in reply and Brax glanced at me, a weak smile on my face…

"Shall we go for a walk?" Brax suggested, raising an eyebrow at his younger brother

"Whatever" he replied

Placing his hand around his shoulder, Brax guided him down the driveway and turned back to me as they walked, shooting me a reassuring smile…

"Hello…" I called into the house a couple of minutes later after grabbing mine and Casey's things from the boot

"Hi" Ricky greeted me as she walked out of hers and Brax's bedroom "where're the boys?"

"Gone for a walk" I informed her as I placed our cases by the door "I don't know whether Brax has told you but Casey's in a bit of a rut after his accident"

"Yeah, he has. How're you doing with it all?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow at me

"Not well, which is why I called Brax to get his advice. Hopefully he'll be able to snap Casey out of it" I replied

"If anyone can do it, it's Brax" she assured me, smiling at me warmly "tea?"

"I'll do it. You sit down" I stated, both of us moving into the kitchen, her sitting down at the kitchen table as I flicked the kettle on

CASEY'S POV:

"Do you wanna sit down?" Brax asked as we walked along the beach

"Yeah" I replied, both of us making our way in the direction of some rocks

"So what's going on, Case?" he questioned as we sat down

"What do you mean what's going on?" I inquired

"This injury, it's not the end of the world" he replied

"You sound like Denny…" I sighed, running my hands over my face

"You think it is?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me "tell me why"

"When I can finally get back to the physicality of the course, I'm gonna be too far behind to even try to catch up" I admitted "so I may as well jack it in and start again next year"

"Is that what you want?" he questioned

"No, but it's the only option I can think of" I replied

"Have you ever thought about asking your tutors if there's anything that can be done?" he asked "what about special consideration?"

"I've not looked into it" I informed him

"Don't you think you should?" he inquired

"Maybe" I replied "but what if there's nothing that can be done? What then?"

"We'll sort something" he informed me

"We?" I questioned

"Yeah" he replied "you're my brother, Case. I'm not gonna let you go through this on your own"

"Thanks, Brax" I stated

"I'm not the only one you should be thanking…" he admitted

"Yeah, I know" I assured him "can we get back now? I need to ice this"

He nodded his head, signalling yes… "Sure you don't want me to carry you?"

I chuckled softly and shook my head, signalling no… "I'll be fine"

"You sure? I can always piggy-back you if you want?" he questioned

"No, I'm fine" I assured him, smiling at him warmly as we stood up "but I'm serious, Brax, thank you"

"No problem" he replied, reciprocating my warm smile

**So all it took for Casey to come out of his funk was to come back home and have a chat with his brother. What else will happen now they're back in Summer Bay for the holidays?**


	44. Chapter 44

CASEY'S POV:

Denny climbed into the makeshift bed we'd made on the sofa that night, Brax and Ricky having renovated my old room into a nursery and lay down, turning to face me…

"I'm sorry" I sighed

"For what?" she questioned

"Pushing you away" I admitted "I shouldn't have been the way I was with you when you were only trying to help"

"You were worrying about how you're going to get back into the physical side of your course which is understandable. It's fine" she assured me, smiling at me warmly

"Thank you for bringing me back home" I replied

"You're welcome" she stated, leaning forwards, pressing her lips against mine

DENNY'S POV:

The next morning I awoke before Casey and everyone else and decided to make a start on breakfast. As I was putting the bacon into the pan, Brax hurried into the kitchen and began to search for something…

"Is this what I think it is?" I questioned

He nodded his head, signalling yes… "Where are my keys?"

"Over there" I informed him, motioning to the bookcase "how's Ricky doing?"

"Calmer than him" she informed me as she walked into the living room

"What's going on?" Casey asked sleepily as he awoke from all the row

"Well, Case, I'm about to have your niece or nephew" Ricky replied

"What?!" he inquired, quickly sitting up in bed "you're in labour?"

She nodded her head, signalling yes…

"Got them!" Brax proclaimed, grabbing his keys from the bookcase "right, let's go"

"Good luck" Casey and I stated in unison as he took Ricky's hand and helped her out the door

CASEY'S POV:

"I can't believe in a matter of hours I'm gonna be an Uncle" I admitted as Denny and I sat in the diner later that morning "which reminds me, I better call Heath, let him and B know"

"Let him and B know what?" Heath's voice asked as I pulled out my phone "thanks for letting us know you were back, by the way"

"Spur of the moment thing" I informed him "and Ricky went into labour an hour or so ago"

"We should get to the hospital then" Bianca proclaimed

"I think it should just be them, y'know?" I inquired "they'll call us when they have news"

"Looks like we'll be spending the day back at the house then" Heath admitted

"Well we can always call you and then make our own way to the hospital?" I suggested

"Oh, I see. You two were planning on making the most of a free house, were you?" he asked "you cheeky pair…"

"Why don't we just all go to the hospital now?" Denny questioned "let Brax and Ricky know we're there for them?"

"But…" I began

"But nothing" Bianca stated "Denny's right. Let's go"

**So Casey's going to become an Uncle sometime soon, how do you think he'll adapt to his role?**


	45. Chapter 45

CASEY'S POV:

"You guys didn't have to come..." Brax admitted as he walked into the reception area of the hospital to meet us

"We're family, aren't we?" Heath questioned "we're not letting you and Ric do this on your own"

He smiled warmly at us… "Then I guess you better follow me"

The four of us followed him as he began to make his way back down the corridor, arriving outside Ricky's room…

DENNY'S POV:

It had been two hours since we'd arrived at the hospital, and since then Ricky had been taken down to the delivery suite, and now we were all waiting for news…

"You nervous?" I asked Casey as I moved closer to him and rested my head on his shoulder

"A bit, yeah" he admitted "but I'm sure Brax and Ricky are more nervous than I am"

"We are" Brax's voice spoke, our heads turning to face him

"So?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at him

"A girl" he informed us, smiling at us warmly "a girl…"

"Congratulations!" we proclaimed in unison, the four of us standing up to congratulate him

"How's Ricky doing?" I asked as we pulled apart

"Good. She's exhausted obviously, but she's on cloud nine too" he replied

"When can we see her and the bub?" Bianca questioned

"Soon" he stated "they're just checking them both and then Ricky will be brought back to her room"

"We'll go and get stocked up then" I informed him

"On what?" Casey asked, raising an eyebrow at me

"Supplies" I replied "Ricky's gonna need something to eat and drink, and so are the rest of us"

"Thanks, Denny" Brax stated as I took Casey's hand in mine and began to walk down the corridor

"No worries" I assured him

CASEY'S POV:

"You're quiet…" Denny admitted, nudging me as we waited in line at the canteen

"Just letting the last twenty minutes or so sink in" I informed her

"Congratulations, Uncle Case" she replied, smiling at me warmly

"And you, Auntie Denny" I chuckled

"What?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow at me

"You're part of the family, so you've gotta have a title too" I replied

"Are you serious?" she inquired

"Yeah, deadly" I informed her "why?"

"No reason. It's just, yeah. I've never been Auntie Denny before" she admitted

"Well now you are, so welcome to the family" I replied

"Thanks" she chuckled, leaning forwards to kiss me softly

**AWE, Uncle Casey and Auntie Denny!**


	46. Chapter 46

CASEY'S POV:

Christening day for Jessica had arrived, and as I sat, watching her sleep as Ricky and Brax got themselves organised, Denny came and sat down next to me…

"What are you thinking about?" she questioned, placing her hand on my shoulder

"How one day I'd like this" I informed her "a house of my own, a family, a marriage, a life"

"You think about that?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow at me as I turned to face her

"Since you and me got together, yeah" I admitted "and since Jessica came along. It's been nice being here and seeing Ricky and Brax adapting to this new chapter in their lives. I want that to be me one day, don't you?"

She nodded her head, signalling yes and smiled at me warmly… "Yeah, I do"

"So one day we're gonna do it, try for a baby of our own?" I asked

"Yeah" she replied. Smiling at her warmly, I pulled her closer to me and kissed her passionately

"Woah, there are children present, Case!" Brax chuckled as he picked a stirring Jessica up from her Moses basket and cradled her to his chest "what's all this about anyway?"

"We're just talking about the future" I informed him

Patting my shoulder, he made his way back through to the bedroom…

DENNY'S POV:

Ricky and Brax were mingling with guests at the after party of the christening whilst I sat in a booth looking after Jessica when Casey came and joined me, setting a drink down on the table for me…

"Thank you" I stated, smiling at him warmly

"Fulfilling your godmother duties, are we?" he questioned

I nodded my head, signalling yes… "I still can't believe they asked me to be godmother"

"Well they did, so you'd better get used to it" he replied, kissing my cheek softly

"What?" I inquired as he looked at me intently

"Just thinking about how natural you look with a baby" he admitted "one day, it'll be us"

"One day" I mirrored, smiling at him warmly "but for now, I'm more than happy being Auntie Denny"

"As long as I know it's one day, I can wait" he informed me

Leaning closer to him, I pressed my lips against his softly… "Can you believe how quick the holidays have gone?"

He shook his head, signalling no…

"Are you sure you don't wanna stick around here for the rest of your recovery?" I inquired

"No, I need to get back to lectures and keep up with that side of the work" he replied "don't wanna fall behind with that too"

Nodding my head in understanding, I smiled at him warmly… "You know I'm proud of you, don't you?"

"What for?" he questioned

"For picking yourself up after your accident" I informed him "I know how hard it was for you to have that knock so soon into your course, but things will be okay and you will be back to it soon, that's what you've got to remember"

"Couldn't have done it without you or these guys, could I?" he inquired

"What's family for, eh?" I questioned

Smiling at me warmly, he cupped my cheek in his hand and kissed me softly once again…

**Voila! If you hadn't guessed, this was the final chapter. Hope everyone's enjoyed the story…**


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